


First Impressions, Second Glances

by AnAverageGirl15



Category: Arrow (TV 2012)
Genre: Alternate Universe, F/M, Social Media AU
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-10-24
Updated: 2017-10-24
Packaged: 2019-01-22 08:10:30
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 30,726
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/12477144
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/AnAverageGirl15/pseuds/AnAverageGirl15
Summary: Oliver Queen only did it to complete an assignment. He never thought starting his own YouTube channel could change his life forever. In comes Felicity Smoak, a dancing hacker with an amazing spirit.





	First Impressions, Second Glances

**Author's Note:**

> This is a repost since I deleted this a long time ago. But a lot of people have asked me if I could publish it again and since this is very far from the show-verse, I have decided that I will. I have edited it so that even those who don't read M rated stories can read it. Enjoy!

It all began because Professor Hamelton wanted them to experiment with social media and see what an influence it could be for a business. He had told the class to go on whatever social media outlet they wanted, but they needed to make a forum where anybody could ask them any question and they had to answer it honestly. The project was due in a month and it would count as their final. Oliver really didn't want to do it. He wasn't one for social media because he never knew who was genuinely interested in _him_ or just interested in his money. But he needed to do it for a grade, so he decided on something that was quick yet personal. YouTube. 

Making his account and first video was fairly easy. Just a quick one minute introduction of himself and why he was doing this, letting everyone know to leave a question in the comment section. He hadn't expected for his video to have over 10,000 hits by the end of the week. He guessed it helped that he was already pretty well known from his younger years before he really started taking his life serious and focused on his business degree. Most of the comments seemed to be from teenage girls saying how hot he was and that they wanted to date him, but he got a handful of good questions.

Oliver settled down in his chair, with the page of questions and started recording. "Viewers, here we go. It's a rainy Thursday afternoon and I'm waiting for my next class to begin. While I have the time, I thought I would answer some of the questions you left. So let's start. Okay, AvidWatcher27 asked, 'In the past, you were seen in a lot of tabloids and on TMZ frequently, but over the years it seems that your appearances have gone down dramatically. What changed?' That is a good question AvidWatcher27. When I was younger, my best friend and I partied all the time. Every night we would be at a club or crashing someone's party. We loved to drink and we loved the girls even more. We didn't care who caught us on camera as long as we were having a good time. I had just dropped out of my second university, so Tommy, my best friend, decided that I needed a night out instead of listening to my parents yell at me. We were driving to our friends club when we were hit by a car. The driver had fallen asleep at the wheel and we didn't stand a chance of avoiding him. The next thing I remember was waking up in the hospital with a broken arm and my best friend dead. That was my wake up call. For a long time I blamed myself for his death. Sometimes I still do. But I realized in that hospital that the life I was leading wasn't a life at all. All the partying, all the drinking and sex, it didn't mean anything in the end. So I decided that I needed to change. I got into this university and started applying myself in my classes. I thought it would be hard, growing up. It is. But I also found out that I actually like it here. I like my classes and my professors. I like this whole experience. I cut back on my partying and focused on learning. And it turns out I'm pretty good at school. I just wish I didn't have to find out this way." 

Oliver cleared his throat, trying to get the ball of emotion out that always appeared whenever he talked about Tommy. Looking down at the next question, he sighed in relief to see that it was something that always made him smile. "Again, good question. Now Jenny asked, 'Who's the one person you love spending time with the most?' That's easy. My baby sister, Thea. I try to go back home at least three times a week just to spend time with her. She's ten years younger than me, but when I lived at home she was always chasing after me. She's amazing." Looking back down, Oliver shook his head at the next question, "Lexi wants to know, 'Will you go out on a date with me?'" 

Looking back up Oliver smiled and said truthfully, "The answer to that is no, I have a girlfriend. Sorry Lexi. Next question is from TVAddict927, 'What is it like being a billionaire?' Technically I'm not a billionaire, my father is, which I'm reminded daily by him. Honestly though, it's not as exciting as a lot of people think. Sure, I get to have nice cars, designer clothes, and an invitation to anyplace I want, but I also have to be careful of who my friends are. A lot of times people only want to be my friend for my money, so it's hard to find genuine ones. Nice question though. Freddie asked, 'What's your favorite sport?' Football. I love football. When I was younger I wanted to play football but my mom was against me getting hurt so often, so it never really went anywhere. But I still play with my classmates when we have time in between classes." 

Oliver answered a few more questions before ending the video by saying, "That'll end this assignment. I had a lot more fun than I thought I would making this video. Who knows, it might not be my last. But I gotta go before I'm late for my next class. Later YouTube." He then uploaded it to his account and went to class. It wasn't until three hours later when he was back in his dorm room that he saw that his video already had 20,000 hits and 500 comments, many asking for him to make more videos. Oliver sat back in his chair and realized that for the first time since Tommy's death, he found something that made him happy. Not that his family or girlfriend didn't make him happy, but it always felt like something was missing, someone. With this though, he felt like not only was it a way to talk about things he usually talked to Tommy about, but it also something that had no reminder of Tommy. They never made internet videos (at least on purpose). This was something that Oliver thought he could enjoy without feeling like something was missing. 

His next video was of him at the library. He had his camera phone pointed at him as he spoke quietly, "YouTube, a lot of you viewers asked me to continue making these videos. And I've decided, why the hell not. It's fun for me and for some reason you find this entertaining. So it's a win-win. I'm at the library right now, which is why I'm whispering, looking for my next endeavor into the literature world. I just finished _The Count of Monte Cristo_ and I have to say that I loved it. So much better than the movie. My roommate told me I should try reading _The Odyssey_ next. So I'm looking for that now, but what I wanted was your suggestions. I'm more of a classic book kind of guy, but I'm up for any suggestions you have. Put them in the comments and I'll read as many as I can. I'll post another video about what I thought about each one I read. I'll answer any questions you guys have as well. Ah, here it is. I found my next book, so it's time to sign off and get lost in the literary world. Until next time."

By the next morning Oliver had over 70 book recommendations, some he thankfully had already read and some were duplicates. There were a few he had never even heard of before. Fortunately it was finals week and he had his last final that day, which gave him one month of hanging out at home and reading books. After looking into each book, he decided he would read 20 of the books. The video he made was posted three weeks later and may have been the longest book review he had ever given. Oliver thought that this video wouldn't get as many hits as his previous video, not thinking that people would be interested in his thoughts about the literature world. He was sorely mistaken though, because by the end of the week his video had well over 200,000 hits and 1,500 comments, ranging from thanking him for choosing their favorite book to having a semi-debate with other viewers as well as himself via comments on the merits of the books. 

Oliver never thought that he would enjoy making these videos and commenting back to his viewers as much as he did. But as one semester turned into two and then three, he had well over 2.5 million subscribers watching his videos, which ranged from Q&A's to movie or book reviews to just him taping something he was doing for the day. 

It had been three years since his YouTube debut when he found her, Felicity Smoak. He had been putting together the plans of his business that Professor Darrel wanted everyone in his class to make over summer break. Although Oliver's father wanted him to take over QC when he retired, Oliver never really saw himself working there as CEO. He had no desire to do it. So he was putting everything he had into this project, hoping that maybe this could be the stepping stone for him as he tried to figure out what type of business he _would_ open. All he knew was that he wanted it to be something he had a passion for. But nothing was coming to him at the moment, so he decided to take a break.

Oliver always liked to look into the new vloggers and what they brought to the video blog universe. He subscribed to some of them, but Felicity, she was different. She brought a freshness that he hadn't seen in a long time. The first video he saw from her was her road trip to Coast University. She babbled on about the new adventures awaiting her as a college student and that this vlog was going to show her journey through life. It was short and a little off-center, but she seemed so happy and free. Thea came into his room at the tail end of the video, watching as Felicity smiled at the camera and waved goodbye. "She's cute. Who is she?"

Oliver smiled at his sister as she leaned down and rested her elbows on his shoulders, letting her chin rest against her hands that were on the top of his head as she looked at his monitor. "Just someone new to YouTube."

Thea hummed softly before she told him, "Mom said you have to drive me and my friends around today so we can go shopping. And I'm letting you know now that Alicia is going to come and she has the _biggest_ crush on you ever since you started this YouTube channel. She's going to ask you if she can be in one of your videos and you have every right to say no. I actually encourage it." 

Oliver shook his head as he chuckled, "Okay Speedy, we can leave in five minutes. I just need to put all this away."

Thea looked down at what he was working on and tilted her head to the side as she looked over his blue prints for a shop and his half written business proposal. "Have you told dad yet?" At Oliver's deadpan look, Thea smirked before she looked back down at the papers again. "You're going to have to soon; you only have a year left before you graduate." She continued to look at the blueprints before saying, "And I think a coffee house fits you. You drink it so much it might as well be through an IV." With that Thea left his room, texting her friends that her big brother was going to be their chauffeur for the day. Oliver looked down at his plans and back at where Thea had been standing. He never thought of opening a coffee house, but he liked the idea a lot. Making a quick note he filed his papers away before turning toward his computer. 

His cursor hovered over the subscribe button for another few seconds before he brought it up and exited the screen, putting his computer in sleep mode. He didn't subscribe to her right away, but he told himself to keep her in mind to check back on her in the future. Later that night Oliver uploaded another video entitled, "A Day in the Life of being a Big Brother". Thea had been in one or two of his previous videos, but Oliver thinks he loved this one the most. He rarely got to spend a whole day with Thea and although her friends were there (and Alicia really did have a huge crush on him and she nearly died at the thought of being in his video), Oliver couldn't help but smile as he rewatched the video. It started off with him driving them to Thea's friend's house to pick up the rest of the girls with Thea singing at the top of her lungs as she smiled at the camera he pointed toward her. It then cut to them at the strip of stores they wanted to go to as Oliver showed the girls walking into one, before he turned to camera on him. He whispered so Thea wouldn't hear him as he said, "I love my sister, but this is a special kind of torture only older brothers can understand. Wish me luck on making it out of this alive and in one piece." It then cut to the girls showing off some new outfits they were trying on for him to see and give his opinion on. 

Thea had just stepped out in a very short dress with a low cut top as she asked her friends and Oliver, "What do you think?" Oliver's voice could be heard in the background as the girls said she looked hot, "No. My fourteen year old sister is not wearing that." Thea glared at him before she huffed in anger and went back into the dressing room. The next clip showed Thea taking the camera from Oliver before she handed it off to one of her friends as she begged him, "Come on Ollie, we haven't done it in years. And my feet hurt."

Oliver was shaking his head in amusement as he told her, "Okay, fine. Get on." Thea squealed in joy before standing behind her brother as he bent down a little. She wrapped her arms around his neck before jumping up slightly, laughing as Oliver started to give her a piggyback ride. He walked ahead of everyone as Thea started pointing out a few things in windows, her friends catching it all on camera as Oliver laughed at something she said. They were just passing an empty business lot when she tugged on his shirt for him to stop. He turned them to face the building when Thea told him, "It's perfect Ollie, for your business. This is the spot. Trust me."

Oliver looked into the building, a picture slowly forming in his head. "Yeah, it kind of is perfect."

Her friends just passed a store though that Oliver and Thea already had when one of her friends saw something she wanted. "Thea, come on, we're heading in here." The next scene was of Oliver driving back home. It was dark and Thea was sleeping in the seat next to him. He was stopped at a red light when he spoke, the camera facing him, "This will end my day. I'm driving back home right now. It's about 10 at night and I haven't been this exhausted since finals week. As you can see," he pans to Thea's sleeping form, "my sister is exhausted as well." Oliver directs the camera back at him as he looks at the light, "But I had an amazing day with my sister and I know I won't be getting much more of these as she grows up. I also found out today that she has her first date this weekend. I don't know how I feel about that yet. We'll just have to wait and see I guess. But the light’s changing and I gotta get home. Until next time YouTube." Oliver smiled at the video again before his eyes drifted back to his business plan. Leaning forward again, Oliver started to draw up his new idea.

The last year of college went by in a blur for him. His professors commended him on his new business proposal and even directed him to a few businessmen who might be interested in investing in his plan. So Oliver didn't really look back at Felicity's channel until the day after graduation, it almost being a whole year since he had first seen her. He had just uploaded his most recent video, documenting his complete graduation day with snippets from various parts of his day. Everyone was commenting on his new haircut and a lot of women were telling him that they loved his "scruff". Oliver decided that he needed a break from his reading and replying to various comments and went browsing for new videos when he stumbled upon her channel again. She had uploaded five more videos since he last saw her. Oliver decided to click on the most recent one. 

She was talking about another one of her shows that had just had a series finale. "Why must all good things come to an end? Seriously, all these amazing shows ending way before they should and then these other shows that just keep going on and on that are pointless. It's always the shows that I get attached too as well. Firefly, which ended way too early in my opinion and the movie just tore my heart out and was stomped on for good measure because really did they have to kill him off and so suddenly that I was crying until the last bit of credits rolled. Not cool Whedon. Then Friday Night Lights, my beautiful Texan family, I miss you so. Clear eyes, full heart, can't lose! The country girl within me is screaming out, Texas forever! And now Chuck, my baby Chuck. You broke me and didn't fix me. How am I supposed to be able to function during finals when you leave me with so many feelings? I need a movie. I petition for a movie. I'm going to start a movement. It's going to happen. Now I have to find a new show to fill this void in my heart. If you guys have any suggestions leave them below. Before I forget, I was asked recently by someone, and sorry I forgot your username, but she was wondering how I got into both computers and dancing. The easy answer is that I've always loved computers since I was like seven and took apart my first one. But I was also a very hyper child and my mom needed me to have an outlet, so she enrolled me into a dance class. The rest is history from there. And while I first thought when I was growing up I would always go to MIT, which I did get accepted to, when I got the acceptance letter from Coast I knew that I could get the best of both worlds. Sure, CU's computer science program isn't as advanced as MIT, but it's still amazing and challenging and I still get to dance and work on my technique and learn from amazing dance instructors who've made it in this career. And yeah, that's how I got into both computers and dancing."

She tucked a piece of hair behind her ear and for the first time Oliver noticed the industrial piercing in her right ear. He hadn't pegged her as someone having that type of piercing from the first video, but he knew that first impressions usually weren't that accurate. Felicity waved her hands around as she said, "But in other news, our performance was a hit. We even got a standing ovation, so that was pretty cool. I'll add a little clip of it my friend taped at the end. It was a thrilling experience and I'm really proud of all the hard work I put in it as well as the rest of my team. Our choreographer was so impressed that he decided over summer break he's going to have us opening at a few of his shows while he's on tour. Which is really exciting and a dream come true for all of us. Which also means no uploading of videos while I'm away. But I will bring back amazing behind the scenes footage of our trip. Again, thank you guys for the support. You've been amazing. Signing off now. Bye."

Oliver smiled as he scrolled down to second video she uploaded, clicking on it. Felicity appeared on the screen and started to speak, "Hi again. So as I said in my first video, this channel will be dedicated to my journey through my college experience and possibly beyond. I wanted to introduce myself though properly first. As I've said previously, my name is Felicity Smoak. I'm attending college at Coast University. My major is in performing arts, but I'm minoring in computer science. I'm addicted to TV shows, probably an unhealthy amount especially being in college now. What else is there to know? I live off of coffee. If I could, I would have an IV of it attached to me. Between my early mornings and late nights, it's pretty much a staple in my dorm room. Plus all those nights of binging on shows or having movie marathons. It's a must."

Her phone made an alert noise and she looked down at it quickly. "Well, class is about to start so I'll wrap this up by telling you what I plan to post here. I will most likely upload clips of some of my rehearsals or performances. I want to know what you guys think, what I can improve on and anything you see that you like or don't. I can do a few Q&A's as well. My schedule is kinda really hectic, so not sure how many of them I can do, but I'm happy to get to know you guys and have you viewers get to know me. Feel free to comment below with any questions. Bye!"

Oliver watched the rest of her videos, two of which were of her dancing and some bits of behind the scene preparation and nerves. The last one was a Q&A were he learned that she could sing, loved hacking in her spare time, she didn't have any siblings, as well as when she got her industrial piercing and why. Oliver didn't hesitate when his cursor hovered over the subscribe button. Clicking it, he knew that Felicity would bring something new to his YouTube experience and that he was actually looking forward to her next video. 

Another year and a half passed and Oliver got his business up and running, opening it at the building Thea had pointed out to him. Although it wasn't just a coffee house, it was a computer lab as well with an attached bistro to the side. A mixture of both things he loved to do. He was very proud of it and business was better than ever. During the year he had uploaded a variety of videos, from construction being done on the shop to a few more Q&A's. Oliver was just settling down from closing the café, while Thea and her boyfriend, Roy, were doing stock in the back. He had a coffee by his side as he booted-up a computer to start his next recording. He had all the comments printed out in front of him as he settled into his seat.

Hitting the record button he started his Q&A. "YouTube. I'm back with a Q&A like I promised for hitting 6 million subscribers. I am still amazed you guys like the shit that I post here and humbled by the support you've given me. So let's get down to it. CassieLass23 asked, 'How's your coffee house coming?' My bistro café is great. I'm actually still in it in our computer lab." Oliver brought up his mug to be shown on screen. "Got my coffee with me and after I finish this I have some paperwork I need to finish, hence the coffee. But everyone seems to like it and I've gotten many compliments on not just the variety of coffee and teas, but the food we serve here as well, which is always nice. The computer lab is packed all the time and a lot of the local students love to come here to relax and hang out as well as study. So all in all, I think this business has really taken a life of its own and I'm really proud of it. I remember when I first posted the video announcing my upcoming business venture and all the support you viewers gave me and how you all spread the word through your other various social media accounts. So I wanted to do a little something special for you viewers. If you're ever in Starling City and in need of a coffee or lunch, come over here and ask for me. I'm almost always here and if I'm not here then ask for my business partner John Diggle, and we'll give you a free lunch or coffee on us." Looking back down, Oliver drummed his fingers against the desk as he looked through the comments. "Okay, RosettaHedge13 asked, 'Facebook or Twitter? (We all know MySpace is outdated and I can't picture you on Tumblr).'" 

Oliver looked at the camera scoffed playfully as he said, "Come on. YouTube. Honestly though, I just started getting into Facebook for my business, so I'm still learning the ropes with that. Twitter seems interesting. I know my sister has been trying to get me on it. But I really like how I have my YouTube account set up and I don't think that's going to change for a while. And as for the Tumblr, yeah, I don't really know what that is. I might have to look into it now though." Taking a sip of his coffee, Oliver looked at the next question. 

"Here's a good one from ZombieReady69, 'You've talked about your business partner, John Diggle, in passing a few times, and I was wondering, how did you guys meet?' I have to first premise this with reminding everyone that I really wanted to try and start this business with as little help from my father and his company as possible. I wanted to make it my own and feel what my dad always told me he felt when he started his company from the ground up. That's really the reason why we met. It was about two months after I graduated and I was waiting for a meeting with investors when he sat down next to me. We got to talking as we both waited. I told him why I was there and then he told me he was there to open up a bistro with his fiancée, deciding to finally accomplish his dream after serving in the army. As we talked I think we both realized that while our plans for our own separate businesses were good, however if we combined the two ideas it could be something great. Thankfully the investors we were at weren't interested in being part of our business. After his meeting finished, we met up at a café around the block. We really started to talk about what we envisioned for our business. I won't get into all the details of what went on, but one thing led to another and we became business partners. Six months later we opened _Bits and Bytes Bistro Café._ It's a lovechild of both of ours. Digg and his wife, Lyla, take care of the bistro part. Lyla is a phenomenal chef. I sometimes work in the café, serving coffee and cleaning up or I work behind the scenes, picking up supplies and things like that. My sister came on last month as a barista, which is nice. Our staff is amazing and we're all just really proud of what we have here."

Just then Thea shouted at Oliver, "Ollie, we finished with the inventory so we're heading out!" 

Oliver stood up and looked around the corner at Thea, "Okay, I'll see you tomorrow. Love you." Thea waved goodbye as Roy held the door open for her. Sitting back down Oliver smiled at the camera, "Sorry about that, my sister and her boyfriend were just letting me know they were leaving. Okay, now back to the questions. Oh, this is an interesting question. SamanthaP asked, 'You are a very avid vlogger and I was just wondering if you follow any other accounts on YouTube. If so, who do like the most?' Well Samantha, I do follow other accounts. Not many, but I do follow some. As for who I like the most, that's a good question." Pursing his lips, Oliver thought about all the accounts he followed when Felicity's face appeared in his mind's eye. Smiling he looked back at the camera and said, "Felicity. I love Felicity. I think her username is DancingHacker, if I remember correctly. She's remarkable. I'll post a link to her page in the 'About' section so everyone can take a look at her videos. I recommend starting from her first one and working your way through in order. Good question Samantha."

Oliver flipped through a few pages of comments before he settled on the next question. "Okay, CoffeeLover98 asked, 'I've worked as a barista for the last year while in college, so I know what it's like to work in a café. But it's kind of far from my apartment and your café is actually in between my place and my college campus. And you seem like a great boss, so I was just wondering if maybe, I could come in and apply for a job?' First off, great name. Secondly, sure, why not! We're always taking in applications. I know that right now we do have an opening available. One of our best barista's, Carly, is leaving to open up her own business. So come on over and ask for me. Now, I can't say you'll get the job. No promises. And while I'm on the topic, if anyone ever does want to apply for any job here, feel free to. All the staff here is amazing. I'm not just saying that because I'm one of the bosses, either."

Smiling, he looked down to read the next question. "DavisJones asked, 'You've talked about your love for both football and hockey. How did it feel for you when the Blackhawks beat Starling's Warriors and won the Stanley Cup? (I know I was sorely disappointed since Starling is my hometown).' Honestly, I didn't like it, but that last game was a hell of a game to witness. It had me on the edge of my seat until the last second." Oliver answered a few more questions before he finished off the video, "That's it for tonight guys. I got to get to my paperwork and be back here in five hours for opening. I wanted to mention before I signed off though, that I might be announcing something really exciting within the next few weeks about the bistro café. So look out for that announcement and what it could mean for all of you college students pulling all nighters. Good night YouTube."

~

Felicity stepped into her apartment, wiping the sweat off her brow after her long run as she took her earbuds out to find her half-asleep roommate walk up to her, telling her irritably, "Your tablet keeps beeping. Make it stop."

Her brow furrowed in confusion until she heard the email alert sound come from her tablet followed quickly by another one. Hurrying over to it, Felicity couldn't help but wonder why she was getting so many emails. Unlocking it, she found she had over 200 new emails. Which was odd because she had checked her emails before her two hour run. She scrolled through them to find that all of them were alerts of new YouTube subscribers. Not understanding why she had such an influx in subscribers, she sat down on the couch and she started to read new comments on her channel. 

Many were saying that her videos were awesome and they loved her dancing. She was just about to give up on finding out how she got all this new attention when she saw a comment from someone saying that they were happy Oliver Queen mentioned her in his most recent video. Felicity slowly lowered her tablet as she looked up into empty space. She couldn’t believe it. Famous, billionaire Oliver Queen had said he liked her videos. She needed to see this.

Quickly scrolling through her subscriptions she found his most recent video and clicked on it. She would never tell anyone but she had been following Oliver Queen since she joined YouTube. She liked his style and how interacted with his viewers. When she first saw that he had a page, she thought that it would be disastrous. His videos filled with drunken moments and scantily clad women. However, she quickly felt ashamed as she watched his first video and his honest answer to why he had changed. Felicity watched his other videos and found out that Oliver was a different person than she thought he was. It didn't hurt that he was hot. So she had been following him for some time now. 

Felicity remembered when she got the email alert saying that he had subscribed to her. She nearly had a panic attack at the thought that he was watching her videos. But then life happened and she never really thought about it again. Now though, as she watched Oliver say he loved her and that she was remarkable, Felicity felt a blush creep up to the roots of her hair. Taking in a calming breath, she went to his channel and sent him a quick thank you for saying that she was his favorite YouTuber. 

Looking at the time she saw that she was running late for rehearsal. Her roommate, Sara Lance, walked back out from her bedroom to get coffee. Felicity smiled at her as she rushed into the bathroom, shouting, "Sorry about the all the alerts. I'll remember to put it on silent next time. But you'll never guess what they were for."

Sara groaned softly as she rubbed the sleep from her eyes. "Was it Barry emailing you of every little new detail about his new journalist assignment?" Felicity stuck her head out as she glared at Sara, her toothbrush still in her mouth. Sara held up her hands, "Sorry, you know I don't like getting woken up before my alarm. I get irritable. So what were they for?"

Felicity took her toothbrush out of her mouth, pointing it at Sara as she said, "First, Barry isn't that bad. You like him. Secondly, they were all email alerts for new YouTube subscribers! I got 200 new subscribers in two hours. All because Oliver Queen said that he liked my videos. This could be our big break! More people will see us dancing and maybe now we can go somewhere."

Sara smiled broadly before furrowing her brow. "Wait, did you say Oliver Queen?"

Felicity spat out her toothpaste before shouting back at her from within the bathroom, "Yeah. Why?"

Sara padded over to the bathroom, leaning against the doorframe. "Oliver Queen, as in Robert Queen's son? Robert Queen, as in CEO of _Queen Consolidated_ whose son opened a new bistro café in Starling, who is also one of the hottest guys I've ever seen?" Felicity nodded slowly as Sara laughed incredulously, "Wow, talk about a small world. My sister, Laurel, used to date Oliver. They broke up about a year ago when she graduated from Harvard and got a job on the east coast. Which also means he's available now."

Felicity sighed as she told Sara, "You know I'm with Barry. And I'm happy. Anyway, that's not the point. We just got pushed into semi-stardom because of him. Now more people will be looking at our dance videos and _that_ is what is important."

Sara hummed as she pushed off the doorframe and started to walk toward her bedroom, "Whatever you say Smoak. I'm just telling you that that man is a catch and this could be a blessing in disguise. Don't dismiss it just yet."

Felicity rolled her eyes as she started to mutter under her breath about Sara trying to play matchmaker and her needing to stop poking holes in her relationship with Barry. She quickly showered before she rushed out to find Sara waiting for her with a to-go mug filled with coffee and a bagel with cream cheese already on it. She handed it over to her as Felicity grabbed her bag. They were heading to their car when Sara told her, "You should thank him in your next video. Something formal and you know, memorable, since he apparently watches you."

Felicity scoffed at the idea. She would do no such thing. Sara opened the door to the stairway, throwing her a knowing smirk over her shoulder. Okay, maybe she would welcome all her new followers and just mention him in passing. Maybe.

~

Oliver walked into the bistro café, carrying their most recent crate order of wine. It had been a week since he posted his 6 million subscribers Q&A. He had only had time to scroll through the comments and reply to a few of them since then, since he and Diggle had been putting together a plan to keep the bistro café open 24/7. Oliver nodded hello at Roy as he walked behind the counter, passing Thea as he made his way to the kitchen, who was talking on the phone to someone enthusiastically. Whispering at her to scare her, he said, "Thea, get off the phone."

She jumped a little before she smiled at him and said, "I'm talking with Sara. She says hi, by the way. She also says thanks for helping her move a few months ago and for the letter of recommendation to CU."

Oliver smiled at her as he told her, "Five minutes Thea, then back to work. And tell Sara I'm happy I could help. I know Coast has a great dance program." Oliver pushed through the doors, stepping into the kitchen to see Slade taking over Lyla's shift. She smiled at him as he leaned down to kiss her cheek, "Leaving already?"

Nodding she said, "Yeah, I'm heading over to Carly's to help her with her business proposal. She's really nervous about bringing her idea to you guys. And I really appreciate you two doing this for her."

Oliver nodded his hello to Slade, silently telling him that the new wine was in, before he told Lyla, "She's family. If we can help, we're happy too. I'll see you tomorrow." She waved goodbye as Oliver started to put the wine away when Shado walked and said happily, "Slade!" She quickly noticed that Oliver was there and smiled at him, "Oh, hi Oliver. Sorry, I didn't see you there."

Oliver tried to hide his smile as he stepped back from the wine and told her, "Why don't you finish putting this wine away for me. I have to make sure Thea isn't on the phone anymore." As the door swung shut behind him, he saw Shado lean up to kiss Slade. He knew that the two liked each other and he was happy that they were together now. Although Oliver knew it wouldn't interfere with their jobs, he couldn't help but give them a few moments to themselves since he knew it was hard for Shado to get any real alone time with her being in med school. 

He walked back into the café to find that Thea was at the cashier with a customer and another one was waiting in line. Smiling at her, he asked, "What can I get you?"

She smiled at him as she said, "Oh, I'm actually here to see about your new job opening. I'm CoffeeLover98 from YouTube."

His smiled broadened as he playfully joked, "And do you have another name that I can call you beside CoffeeLover98?"

She blushed softly as she spoke quickly, "Oh! Sorry, Helena. Helena Bertinelli."

Oliver extended his hand over the counter and shook her hand as he said, "It's nice to meet you Helena. Do you want anything before we start your interview? It'll be on the house."

Helena looked at him surprised before she said, "Thank you. I guess I'll have a chai latte."

Oliver nodded and told her, "Coming right up. You can go ahead and sit over there. I'll bring this to you and then we can get started." He watched her walk toward the small table and sit down, setting her manila folder down on the table. He quickly made her the chai latte before heading toward her and sitting down across from her. "Here you go. So, Helena, tell me a little bit about yourself."

She took out her résumé and told him, "Right now I work at _Spilled Beans_ down south. I've been working there since I started attending Starling U, one year ago. My boss knows I'm here and he says you can call him for a reference. I'm a hard worker and I'm willing to work my schedule around any shift you put me on."

Oliver looked down at her résumé, briefly scanning it before he looked back up at her and asked, "What is your class schedule like?"

Helena pulled out a typed class schedule. "I go to class Monday thru Thursday from 7:30 in the morning to 3:00 PM. But I'm willing to change up my classes if need be."

Oliver shuffled the papers together to put in his files before saying, "That won't be necessary." Helena's face fell as she thought that she wasn't going to get the job. Before she could thank him for the interview, Oliver stood up and said, "I just need to see one more thing. Follow me." Standing up, she followed him behind the counter, taking her folder and latte with her. Oliver introduced her to the barista, "Helena, this is my sister, Thea. She's going to show you how to make a drink and then I want you to make one. Do you think you can do that?"

She smiled at him brightly before nodding. Helena watched as Thea started to make an iced caramel-chocolate latte. Thea held the drink up for her to look at as she said, "This is my personal favorite. It's kinda addicting." Taking a step back she told her, "Now it's your turn."

Helena got to work as Thea stepped next to her brother. "So, have you looked at your YouTube page recently? More specifically your subscriptions?"

Oliver looked at her confused before turning his attention back to Helena, who was just finishing up with the drink and putting the finishing touch of the whipped cream on it. "No, I haven't really had time. Why?"

Thea shrugged as she said, "Oh, it's nothing. Just something Sara told me. Maybe you should look at it. See if you like any of the new videos."

Oliver looked back at Thea as he said, "Thea, what are you talking about? What did Sara say?"

She only smirked at him though as Helena came up to them and showed them her drink. "How'd I do?"

Thea took a sip and moaned in pleasure as the taste hit her taste buds. "Oh, this is exactly what I needed and this is perfect. Ollie, we have to hire her."

Oliver shook his head at both Thea's behavior and sudden interest in his YouTube page. "Okay Helena, you have my sister's approval. I just have one more question. I saw that you are in school for art. Do you paint?" At her nod he asked, "Would it be alright if we hung some of your work in here?"

A smile blossomed on her face as she nodded enthusiastically, "Yes, of course. That would be amazing actually."

Oliver extended his hand and told her, "Then welcome to _Bits and Bytes Bistro Café._ I'll send you an email with your schedule and when you can come in for some training. I'll see you soon." Helena thanked them again before leaving. Oliver then turned to Thea and said, "What's your big interest in my YouTube channel now? What did Sara say?"

Thea smiled broadly at him before saying in a sing-songy voice, "Check your subscriptions."

Oliver frowned at her. He didn't even know Sara looked at his channel. Even though he and Laurel weren't together anymore, Oliver knew Thea and Sara continued to be friends. And he had always liked Sara. She was free spirited and carefree, but still mature and a good role model for Thea. He considered her a friend. Heading to his back office, Oliver booted up his laptop and went to look under his subscriptions, wanting to see what exactly Thea was talking about. There were a few new videos, but most recently there was a video from Felicity. Looking up at the door, he wondered if this is what Thea was talking about and sighed. She was always trying to set him up. Shaking his head, he clicked on the video and started watching it.

It was only a very brief video, just one minute, but he still smiled when Felicity started talking. "Like, wow you guys, in only under a week I've gotten over 5,000 new subscriptions. Just, wow. Welcome to all you new subscribers and thanks to all you loyal fans. I'm overwhelmed for the love you're showing for me and my videos. But I have to thank Oliver Queen for mentioning me in his video. I never expected that, ever. So thank you Oliver Queen, if you're watching this. And if any of you subscribers haven't subscribed to him, it's a must. Pause this video and do it now. I mean it. Go do it. Right now. Look there's even a link down in the About section. Anyways, I just wanted to thank you for the support and also make an announcement. I have some exciting news. As many of you know since my previous dance partner moved back east after she got into Juilliard, I've been searching for another one. And I found another one! I'm super excited because she's amazing and we clicked immediately. It's like we've been dancing with each other for years. And you guys are going to meet her today." She waved someone over as she said, "Come on over here." Oliver watched as Sara appeared on screen, laughing in shock. "Here she is, Sara Lance. My new dance partner and fellow choreographer as well as bestie and roommate. We're working on a new piece right now. I'll be posting a little preview of our rehearsal a little later on. Again thank you everyone for your support. That's it for now. Until next time YouTube." 

Oliver smiled softly as he liked the video and wrote a quick comment on the video before he started working on the new schedule. Five minutes later his phone vibrated, alerting him of a text message. Looking down, Oliver snorted at what he read.

**Sara Lance:** So, did u like our girl's vid?

He quickly responded back. _Don't start, Sara._

**Sara Lance** : Don't b such a party pooper!

Rolling his eyes, Oliver texted, _Don't u have class?_

**Sara Lance:** This isn't over ;P

Oliver sighed at that text. Now that Sara knew Felicity and that she saw his video, he knew Sara would try to set something up and drag a willing Thea into it as well. Looking up at the ceiling, Oliver muttered, "I'm screwed." 

~

Oliver made his next video a week later. "YouTube. It's 5:30 in the morning here. It's the first day of autumn and I have a big announcement. I'm happy to tell everyone that starting this weekend _Bits and Bytes Bistro Café_ will be open 24 hours. Further details will come later on our Facebook page, but I wanted you guys to know first. We'll keep the computer lab open and café, while the bistro will close at 12 and open up again at 4:30. This is something a lot of the college students have been asking for and after a lot of planning and some extra work, both Digg and I have decided that it's doable. I'll be taking over the evening/night shift while John will be here in the morning and afternoon. This also means we have a few new job openings. So if you want to apply or if you know anyone that needs a job, just send us your résumé. Before I leave to head to work, I just wanted to take some time to thank everyone who subscribed to Felicity Smoak. If any of you saw her most recent video she thanked me for mentioning her but all the credit really goes to her and the amazing videos she makes and to all of you who found her as remarkable and entertaining as I do. So, Felicity, if you're watching this, you just keep doing what you're doing and you'll make it. Oh, and tell Sara to mind her own business. She'll know what I'm talking about. Okay YouTube, I'm heading out, the next video I'll be doing will be a Q&A, so leave any questions you have in the comments. Bye."

Felicity smiled softly as she liked his video. She jumped in her chair when Sara spoke behind her, "Looks like you and Ollie have a thing now."

Her hand flew to her chest as Felicity glared at Sara, "How long have you been standing there? You do realize how creepy that is, right?"

Waving her hand in the air, Sara smiled at Felicity as she sat across from her at their dining room table. "I've been standing there long enough to see that smile of yours when he mentioned you. Are you going to respond back to him? Please say yes."

Felicity closed her laptop screen before she said, "Did you not hear what Oliver said? Mind your own business. And what exactly did he mean by that?" She narrowed her eyes when Sara smiled slyly as she took a drink of her coffee. "What did you do Sara?"

Her smile grew as she shrugged and told her, "Nothing. I just asked Oliver if he liked your video. That's it."

Felicity's mouth dropped open before she sputtered, "That's it? That's it! Sara, what were you thinking? He's going to think I'm interested in him and using you to get to him. Oh god, what am I going to do now? He probably thinks I'm desperate or something. This is terrible."

Sara rolled her eyes as she said, "Calm down Smoak. He doesn't think that, trust me. I know Oliver. If anything, he thinks that Thea and I are trying to set him up with _you_. Which we are. So he has that right."

Felicity couldn't believe it. "Sara! I have a boyfriend. There is not going to be any setting up anywhere. I just like his videos and he likes mine. That's it. Appreciation of one blogger to another. No more. Leave it be."

Sara put her coffee mug down before she told Felicity, "I know you have a boyfriend and Barry is great. He's sweet and handsome and just an amazing boyfriend…"

Felicity nodded as she said, "Exactly."

Sara went on though. "For someone else. I'm not saying he's a bad boyfriend. Hell, he's probably the best I've ever seen. I'm a little jealous of how amazing he is. But he's just not it for you. I know we haven't known each other for very long and I hate to be the one to tell you this, but I just don't see the fire between you two. Where's the passion? All I see is puppy love and that can only go so far, trust me. Been there, done that. For a relationship to last, you gotta have that spark and I just don't see it when you're with Barry."

Felicity sighed as she shook her head and ran her fingers through her hair. "Sara, I love Barry. Sure we might not have the fire we used to have when we first started dating, but he's who I want to be with. So please, don't start anything."

Sara raised her hands in surrender before saying, "Okay, fine, I'll stop try to set you two up. Thea will be disappointed though."

Felicity's eyes widened as she said loudly, "You got his sister involved?"

Sara winced at the realization that she didn't mention that already. "Oh, look at the time. I have to get ready for class." She ran off to her room just dodging the pillow that Felicity threw at her head.

~

Oliver rubbed his face tiredly as he sat down in front of his computer in his apartment. It had been a long night at the bistro café. First the dishwasher broke down, which he had to fix right away. Then two of the computers got a virus that he had to take care of and finally there was a mugging that happened in front of the café that he had stopped. The poor girl had been scared senseless. He had brought her into the café as they waited for the cops to come, bringing her some tea to help her calm her nerves. Now all Oliver wanted was something to relax his racing mind before he headed for bed.

Checking his emails quickly and responding to a few urgent ones, Oliver then went on YouTube, hoping something would be able to distract him. He was happy to see that Felicity had made another video and clicked on it quickly.

"Hi everyone. I've been really busy lately with rehearsals and classes, which is why I haven't been able to make any videos in a while. As you all know, I'm big on shows, books, and movies. Some might call me a geek when it comes to them, which I'm happy to admit that I am. Which is why my whole being is cringing at the news that _50 Shades of Grey_ is being made into a movie. Seriously, wasn't it torture enough that there's a whole series of books. Now we have to be tortured by a movie? I've read better fan-fiction than that book. And I only got through the first five paragraphs. Imagine if I had read the whole book." Felicity shook her head before saying, "It's a tragedy to the cinema world. It really is. Real quick topic change though, I just wanted to say thank you to all my new subscribers. Welcome new ones to the world of my rambles. I hope you find them as entertaining as the rest of you find them. I know a lot of you follow Oliver Queen. I also know that many of you thanked me for recommending him to you. I'm happy that a lot of you liked his videos. He is probably the best blogger I've ever seen. He interacts with you guys and I see these amazing debates in the comments sections, it's pretty awesome. So if you haven't yet, I recommend subscribing to him. I was also asked recently why Oliver told me to tell Sara to mind her own business. Long story short, they know each other. Small world, right? And Oliver, she received the message and has promised to mind her own business, so no worries on her part."

Sara popped into the screen then and said, "Hi Ollie! Call me when you realize Thea and I are right!"

Felicity pushed Sara out of the way, glaring at her before looking back at the camera. "Okay, maybe I said that too soon. Seriously, how did you handle her all the years you knew her? Give me some tips or pointers because she's a handful." 

Sara came back up to her and hugged her while kissing her cheek. "You know you love me. Don't deny it. Just accept it. Accept it."

Felicity laughed before she said, "Okay, I accept it." Sara smiled again before she kissed her once more. Sara waved bye before she left the screen. Felicity leaned forward and whispered, "Help me." 

Oliver laughed at the two of them, as Felicity smiled as she said more seriously, "In all honesty though, thank you Oliver for the sweet words and I'm totally flattered that you believe in me and my work. And thank you again to everyone who's been supporting me through the years. You all are amazing. It's been an amazing three and a half years, with only another six months to go until graduation. Wow, time flies when you're having fun. Anyways, Sara's waving at me because we have to head to rehearsal. Until next time YouTube."

Oliver smiled softly as he liked the video, thinking about what tips he could give to Felicity. He sighed, not feeling the tension and stress he had felt when he got home. He fell asleep thinking of things he could tell Felicity in his next video.

~

Oliver and Felicity continued to communicate that way. At the end of each video, no matter the content, they always would say something directly to the other person. It became their thing. They became quick friends, much to Sara's and Thea's delight. Their viewers seemed to like their connection as well, some even asking that they do a video together. Oliver was just putting together a plan of when they could possibly do it with their busy schedule when he got a call from Sara.

"Ollie, you and Thea better not have anything planned from this weekend."

Oliver furrowed his brow as he said, "What's going on this weekend?"

Sara made a noise before saying, "Graduation! I have two tickets for you and Thea. The ceremony starts at 3:00, which means it won't end until 5:00. Then we're all going to go out and celebrate our newfound freedom afterward, which you're paying for of course."

Oliver chuckled as he shook his head. "Of course."

Sara went on, "Then you're going to buy us the best bottle of wine because Felicity and I have some great news to tell everyone. Oh, and did I mention Felicity is coming as well? Which means you finally get to meet her!"

Oliver sighed at Sara. "Sara, you know that us meeting in person won't change anything, right?"

Snorting, Sara said, "You just wait and see Ollie. I'm sure you'll change your mind once you finally meet Felicity in person. Trust me."

Shaking his head again, Oliver told her, "Okay, Sara. I'll clear my schedule and tell Thea we'll be going on a road trip on Friday. And Sara, thank you for inviting us."

Oliver could hear the smile in her voice when she said, "You're family, Ollie. Of course I would invite you. I'll see you guys Friday." Oliver was just about to hang up when Sara stopped him, "Oh, just so you know, you two will be staying at my place. Bye!"

Oliver started to protest but got only the dial-tone in response. Running his fingers through his hair, Oliver knew that with Sara and Thea in the same room it wouldn't end well for anyone.

~

Thea had jumped at the idea of staying at Sara's place, letting Oliver know that he could sleep in their guest room while she slept with Sara like back in the old days when they used have slumber parties. Diggle even said that he and Lyla could hold down the fort at the bistro café for one weekend. Oliver knew that it was a losing fight, so as he pulled out from in front of the manor he couldn’t help but smile as Thea took his camera out and start filming some of their seven hour drive to Coast city.

They arrived with only 30 minutes before the graduation was scheduled to start, having hit some traffic on their way in. Thea grabbed her makeup and garment bag, muttering to herself, "Of course, we would be running late. Now I have to get ready in less than 30 minutes and I am not changing in a public bathroom." Looking up, she told Oliver, "We have to find Sara now so I can see if she knows of somewhere I can get ready."

Oliver hummed his acknowledgment before getting out of the car, grabbing his own garment bag. A smile formed on his face as he saw Sara surrounded by her family. "Come on Thea, I found her."

Thea looked in the direction he was looking at and squealed in happiness. "Sara!" Running toward her, Thea barreled into her. Sara laughed as she hugged Thea back, smiling at Oliver as he walked up to the group.

"Ollie! I was getting worried that you be able to wouldn't make it."

Oliver smiled down at her as he stepped in to hug her. "Never. Congratulations Sara. I'm so proud of you." Stepping back he shook hands with Quentin and hugged Dinah before turning toward Laurel. "Hello Laurel. It's good to see you."

She smiled up at him. "Hi, Ollie." She stepped toward him and hesitantly hugged him before whispering softly, "I've missed you."

Oliver smiled sadly as he told her, "I've missed you too."

Thea cleared her throat before speaking to Sara, "So, is there anywhere we could change besides the public bathrooms? Please say yes."

Laughing, Sara nodded. "Yeah, just follow me. I'll take you to the dressing areas." Waving at her family she told them, "I'll see you guys afterward. Save two seats for Oliver and Thea."

She looped her arms through both of theirs, leading them inside and behind the stage. "You have your camera, right Ollie?"

Thea smirked before nodding, "Oh yeah, I want documentation of this whole day. It's going to amazing!" She looked at Oliver before saying, "A lot of firsts happening today."

Oliver gave both of them a deadpan look at their smiles. "You two need to stop playing matchmaker. Nothing is going to happen."

Thea and Sara shared a look before Sara told Oliver, "Here's where you can change. Thea's going to use the next room over. Once you guys are done, just head on back to the auditorium. I have to get back before I get yelled at." Leaning up she kissed Oliver's cheek. "Today is going to be a day to remember, don't forget that."

Oliver and Thea changed quickly, Thea taking a little longer to touch up her makeup, before they headed to their seats. The graduation proceeded, speeches were given, and then the names started to be called. Oliver had been filming the whole graduation, but he zoomed in when Sara started to walk across the stage. He zoomed in again when Felicity was called onto the stage, smiling broadly when she moved the tassel to the other side of her cap. The rest of the ceremony went by much quicker, finishing with half the student body tossing up their caps. Oliver and the rest of the group waited outside by the parking lot as the graduates met with their friends and family. 

Thea was the first one to spot Sara, waving at her enthusiastically. Sara smiled at them before she turned around to talk with someone. Oliver caught a glimpse of Felicity before she nodded at something Sara said and walked off in the other direction, waving at a man who must have been waiting for her. Oliver's attention was brought back to the group though as Sara came running up to them, receiving hugs from everyone. Oliver took a picture of her with her sister and parents, laughing as Sara made a face. After the picture taking was done Sara asked, "So, where are you taking us Ollie?"

Oliver smiled at her as he said, "Your favorite place that you always tell me you can't get in."

Sara jumped up and down at that, hugging him again. "Yes! I knew I kept you around for something." Turning to her parents, she told them, "We're going to _21 Blue_ , which is like super hard to get reservations. Basically you can only get in if you know someone famous or with a lot of money."

Laurel asked curiously and playfully, "How did you get in before then?"

Sara glared at her sister before saying, "Our choreographer had a group of us dancers go with him for a meeting a few months ago. And I haven't been able to stop talking about it since. Anyways, you guys head on over there. I'll hitch a ride with Ollie and Thea."

Her dad hesitated for a second. "Are you sure, sweetheart? We have enough room."

Sara kissed her dad on the cheek before saying, "I'm positive. Besides, I have to wait for Felicity since she's joining us."

Her mother smiled at that. "I'm excited to finally meet this friend we keep hearing about."

Sara looked back at where Felicity was still talking with Barry before turning back to her mother. "You'll love her, trust me. Plus we have exciting news to tell all of you. But go ahead of us, we'll find you there."

Sara watched as her family got in their car and drove off, before turning back to look at Felicity as she hugged Barry goodbye. Thea leaned toward her and asked, "Who's the guy?"

Sara sighed softly as Felicity started to walk toward them. "That's her ex. They broke up about a month ago. It was hard on her. Both of them I guess. They had dated for like three years. They tried to work it out, but they both wanted different things. So it was mutual, but I think she's still hurting a little. Tonight will be good for her." Sara smiled at Felicity as she drew closer, closing the distance between them quickly before drawing her into a hug. Turning so they were both facing Thea and Oliver, Sara said, "Felicity I would like to formally introduce you to Oliver and Thea Queen."

Thea smiled widely at Felicity, shaking her hand. "It's nice to finally see you in person instead of just seeing your face on a computer screen."

Felicity laughed as she shook her hand. "It's nice to meet you as well. Sara has told me a lot about you." Turning slightly, Felicity faced Oliver and smiled at him. "Hi."

Oliver smiled at her as well, before he shook her hand. "Hi. It's nice to meet you Felicity."

Felicity nodded, "Yeah, I was a little nervous about today. For obvious reasons, because hello graduation and starting my career, but then I was afraid of this meeting being weird and awkward and I would say something really inappropriate like how much bigger you are in person and a lot more handsome and what is your workout regiment because I thought I worked out but look at all these obvious muscles you have even under that suit. Oh god, Sara, please stop me."

Sara laughed as Oliver's smile grew at Felicity's rambling. "Okay Smoak, I think you've accomplished the inevitable, so now that that's out of the way we can head to dinner. Which is, drum roll please, _21 Blue_! So let's get going. Oliver's driving."

Felicity looked at her in shock. "How did you get reservations to that place?"

Sara smiled brightly at her. "I didn't, Ollie did. He's pretty awesome like that. But enough chitchat, we have a celebration to get to. Ollie already promised the best bottle of wine for us."

The drive to the restaurant was mainly filled with Thea talking about her acceptance into the best fashion school in London. Both Thea and Sara thought it was best for them to both sit in the back, leaving Felicity to sit in the passenger seat up front with Oliver. Felicity leaned toward him so Thea wouldn't hear her ask, "How do you feel about that?"

Snorting, he joked, "I'm still in denial. But she's happy and I trust her enough to know she won't get into too much trouble. It's just going to be different her not being around anymore. It'll take some getting used to."

Felicity hummed in agreement. "I can understand that." She listened to some more of Thea's conversation before turning to look at Oliver. "So, they're really both trying hard to get us together. You know that, right?"

Oliver laughed as he nodded. "Yeah, I know. And telling those two to stop only makes them try harder, unfortunately. I say we just ignore them and pretend they aren't here."

Smiling, Felicity agreed. "Okay, might as well start now. So, how's _Bits and Bytes_? I love the name by the way. I don't think I ever told you that."

Oliver turned off the interstate as he answered, "It's really good. And thanks, but most of the credit goes to Lyla and Thea for the name. There are some days that I still can't believe that it's doing so well. I'm actually excited to go back on Monday because we're hosting a sort hack-off that night for an upcoming business that's looking for new hires."

Felicity's eyes brightened at that. "Oh, that sounds like fun. I miss my hacking days. Just sitting in front of my computer and seeing how far I could get into someone's system. It's such an adrenaline rush."

Oliver smiled at her as he offered, "You should come to it. Maybe even stretch those hacking muscles."

Felicity couldn't believe he was offering her that. "Really?"

Nodding, Oliver said, "I'm sure it'll be fun and maybe we could even do a video together, since we keep getting requests for it. I'll even show you around Starling if you want."

Felicity smiled as she looked out the window at the passing buildings. "I'd like that. I've never been to Starling City before, but from what Sara has told me, I think I would love it there. Plus, I don't need to leave until next Wednesday."

They both realized then that neither Sara nor Thea were talking anymore, but listening intently to their conversation. Oliver looked into the rearview mirror to see Sara smiling widely before she said, "I think that's a great idea! Don't you Thea?"

"Yep." Thea popped the 'p' cheerfully before she said, "We could even drive you there when we leave."

Oliver shook his head as he pulled up to the valet service. He told Felicity, "You don't have to come with us when we leave if you don't want to. Thea's just being pushy."

Thea scoffed, "Hey! I am not. I'm just offering to save her some money on gas. Sara could even come since she still hasn't met Roy and that way you guys can be closer to the airport for your flight on Wednesday. I'm sure my mom won't mind you crashing at our place for a few days."

Oliver looked back at Sara and asked, "Wait, where are you flying to?"

Sara glared at Thea, who mouthed sorry, before she turned back and told Oliver, "It's part of the surprise for tonight. So you have to wait until we're all inside and seated. Now come on, I'm starving."

Oliver looked at Felicity for answers. She only smiled at him and shook her head. "Sorry, I was sworn to secrecy as well. Don't worry, it's good news."

Handing his keys to the valet, the four of them walked into the restaurant where the rest of the Lance family was waiting for them. They were seated quickly and soon where listening to Sara and Felicity telling them stories of their college experience as they ate. In between the soup and the main course, Sara announced that both she and Felicity would be flying to Miami to film a movie that their choreographer was going to be part of. Although they were playing minor roles as backup dancers, it was a big break for their new careers. Congratulations went around the table as more wine was served. Oliver leaned closer to Felicity, who was sitting next to him, and whispered, "See, I knew you were going to make it." She smiled at him, a light blush forming on her cheeks at his compliment. 

Sara and Felicity filled them in on the details about the movie and how long filming was going to be throughout the rest of the meal. Sara hugged her family goodbye, promising to stop by before she left, shooting Oliver a knowing look. The drive back to their apartment was filled with Sara talking about all the places she wanted to show Felicity, letting Oliver know that he would be there for the whole thing. They showed Oliver and Thea in, Sara directing Oliver to the guest room before she brought Thea into her own room. Oliver changed into more comfortable clothes before he unpacked their present. He walked out to find the three girls all sitting in the living room, talking about their plans for the rest of the weekend and what they were going to start packing first. Felicity noticed Oliver first, smiling at him before she looked at him curiously, wondering what he was hiding behind his back. "What are you hiding?"

Oliver had actually brought a bottle of wine with him from his own cellar back home, wanting to give something that both Sara and Felicity would enjoy. He knew that Felicity loved wine from some of her videos she made and Sara had grown to love it thanks to Felicity. He smiled at Felicity and Sara before revealing the bottle of wine. "My graduation present to you two."

Sara smiled widely as she saw the bottle of wine, knowing that it was going to be good no matter what it was. She jumped up and took the bottle from him looking at the label and hugging him tightly. She whispered her thanks before she walked over to Felicity and handed her the bottle so she could inspect it, leaving to grab glasses. Felicity read the label and looked back up at him with wide eyes. "Oliver, this is a 1982 Lafitte Rothschild. It's a $5,000 bottle of wine. It's too much."

Oliver smiled at her as he said, "I've been saving it for a special occasion and I know how hard both you and Sara have worked to graduate. And now with the news of your film, you two deserve it."

Looking back down at the bottle speechless, Sara walked back in to the living room with four glasses. Biting her lip, Felicity smiled at the thought of how it would taste. "Okay, but no more presents from you."

Oliver held up his hands as Sara took the bottle from Felicity to open it. "I promise."

Felicity laughed softly as Sara successfully uncorked the bottle. She poured three glasses and was about to pour another when Oliver took the bottle from her and poured a smaller amount of wine for Thea. Rolling her eyes, Thea complained, "Come on, Ollie. That's not fair."

Shaking his head, Oliver sat back down on the couch. "Thea you're only 18. You should be happy I'm letting you drink at all. Mom would kill me if she found out I let you have some wine."

Thea huffed softly, pouting as she took a sip of her wine. Sara smiled at her, happy to have her old friends back with her for a few days. Deciding she wanted to make this moment special, she raised her glass, "A toast to new beginnings and for whatever the future holds." Glasses were raised and clinked before Sara took a sip of wine, sighing in delight at the taste. 

Felicity moaned softly as the flavor of the wine spread across her palate. "This is amazing Oliver. Thank you."

Oliver told her, "Your welcome." Taking a sip of his wine, smiling at the rich taste of the wine, he asked, "So what do we have planned for tomorrow?"

Felicity then went into great detail on their plan for packing up their apartment. All four of them would tackle one room at a time together. She hoped that by Sunday morning they would have everything packed and by the evening they would have it all in storage for pick up and transfer at a later date. Throughout the conversation Thea had grown progressively sleepier, soon falling asleep with head resting against the armrest. Sara leaned over to Oliver and said, "I think the wine knocked her out."

Looking over at his sister, Oliver chuckled before standing up. "Yeah, that or the long day. I think she woke up at four this morning." He gently picked her up as he told them, "I'll be right back. Your door is the one on the left, right Sara?"

Sara nodded her head and watched as Oliver carrying Thea to her room, before jumping to sit next to Felicity. "So, what do you think?"

Felicity took another sip of her wine, sighing happily. "I think this is the best wine I've ever tasted."

Sara slapped her leg and said, "Not the wine. What do you think about Oliver? He's great, right?"

Felicity sighed before she put her wineglass on the table. "Sara. What do you want me to say? Yes, Oliver is a great guy. He's funny, sweet, handsome, and everything a girl could want. But right now, I can't be in a relationship. I _just_ got out of one. I'm not ready."

Sara's smile fell at her last words. "Okay, I understand. Just, don't shut down the idea yet. Maybe in the future, when you're ready, it could work. Promise me."

Shaking her head Felicity laughed softly. "I promise."

Smiling, Sara slid back down to the floor, resting her head against Felicity's leg. Oliver walked back in and sank into his spot on the opposite end of the couch from Felicity. They sat in silence for a few minutes before Sara asked Oliver, "Was it scary, Ollie? Growing up and starting a career?"

Oliver looked up at the ceiling, letting his head rest against the back of the couch. "Yeah. Scary as hell, but exciting. I'm not going to lie to you two, there will probably be moments when you get overwhelmed to the point of wanting to quit. But just stick through it to the end. You'll make it. Trust me."

Felicity looked at Oliver, smiling softly. "Why do you have so much confidence in us?"

He didn't answer her immediately and Felicity thought that he had fallen asleep until he spoke softly, "Because you love what you do. If you love something, you don't give up on it. I know from experience." 

Sara smiled sleepily, humming softly at his words. "Wise words." Her eyes slowly slid shut as she leaned against Felicity's leg. "I'm happy you're here Ollie."

Oliver looked down and saw that Sara was barely awake. "So am I." Standing up again, Oliver took her hand in his and tugged gently. "Come on, I think it's time to get you to bed." She didn't move though, only grunted at the inconvenience of being disturbed. Rolling his eyes and smiling at Felicity, he tugged one more time with a little bit more force, giving him the right amount of leverage to tug her up and place her over his shoulder.

Sara yelped in surprise as she hit his shoulder. "What are you, a caveman, Ollie?"

Smiling down at Felicity, he mouthed he would be right back, before saying, "I'm just trying to make sure you don't wake up with a crick in your neck tomorrow morning."

He started walking toward her bedroom again, Sara's hair swishing back and forth with each step as she told him, "Oliver Queen, my hero." A few beats later, she commented, "Has anyone ever told you that you have a nice ass?"

Felicity started laughing as Oliver jostled Sara on his shoulder. She filled her glass halfway as she waited for Oliver to return. Settling back in the cushions, Felicity smiled softly at how easy it was with Oliver. Even when she had babbled herself into embarrassment, Oliver only smiled at her, as if he liked them. It could be so easy to listen to Sara and jump in. Shaking her head, Felicity scolded herself on that thought. Her heart was not mended yet from her breakup with Barry, she was in no position to start another relationship. It wouldn't be fair to the other party. Oliver walked back then, settling in the couch again. He turned his body to face Felicity, noticing that she looked worried. "Hey, what's wrong?"

Felicity turned so she was facing Oliver as she started to play with a loose thread on a pillow. Sighing, Felicity groaned. "It's weird, you know. This is the first time that we've actually met and it's so easy. Sure, we've sort of talked through our videos and we know a lot about each because of them. Still, I wouldn't call us friends but we're more than acquaintances. Talking to you, though, and just being around you, it's easy. There's no real effort going into it and it feels normal, like it's right. I know that must sound weird. The thing is that I have friends, but it's never been this easy to connect and just start talking. The only other person that it's been like this instant connection was with Sara. And Sara is great, she's my best friend. I can tell her anything, but sitting here with you I feel the same way. Like I can tell you anything and you won't judge me. I mean, when I babbled myself into oblivion earlier today you just smiled at me like it was nothing. No one has ever done that before, except Sara. When I first met her, I went on this terrible babble that I won't torture you with and you know what she said. 'You're cute.' She called me cute because of my babbling. I didn't scare her off and I knew then that she would be my best friend. Now I meet you and I already knew you were pretty awesome from your videos, but I never thought I could feel this comfortable around somebody else. Even with my ex who I was with for three years, I never felt this at ease with him. And he was great. But he wanted me to stay here with him instead of going to film the movie because long distant relationships hardly ever work. I get that. Even before then though, it's like that spark that we first had, had burnt out. And when he said that to me, I realized that I loved him, I just wasn't in love with him anymore. Not to say that I love you because I don't believe in love at first sight. Lust at first sight, sure. Not that I'm saying that I lust after you. Or that you can't be lusted over because it's easy to see why someone would. And there I go again with my no brain filter and you just keep smiling at me. It's very frustrating and I'm sure none of what I just said makes any sense."

Oliver couldn't deny that she made him smile. Watching her talk, her hands gesturing wildly as she babbled, was cute. He liked her a lot. "Felicity, I get it. Whatever this is, it is easy. I haven't felt this way since before my best friend, Tommy died. So I understand."

She smiled at him hesitantly, "So it's not just me?"

Shaking his head, Oliver told her, "No, it's not just you. I know that Sara and Thea can be a lot to take in. I've known Sara for half my life, so I know how insistent she can be. The same goes for Thea. I love them both, but sometimes they don't know to stop pushing. So I have a proposal. For right now let's just be friends. No ulterior motives, no thinking about the future. We get to know each other more, we make that video together, I'll show you around my hometown and then you go off to film your movie. We take it one moment at a time. If there's one thing I've learned in my life, it's to live in the moment. Whatever the future holds, we'll tackle it when we get there. How does that sound?"

Felicity never felt more relieved than she thought she could've in that moment. "I think that's a great idea." A slow smile spread across Felicity's face as she realized what Oliver said about knowing Sara half his life. "So, if you've known Sara for half your life, does that mean you have some embarrassing stories of her? Heaven knows that she has enough of me to last a lifetime."

Oliver leaned his head back, laughing deeply, before recounting one of Sara's less finer moments. They stayed up talking about their lives for another few hours, until Felicity looked at her watch and saw the time. "Wow, I didn't realize it was so late. We should head to bed if we want to wake up at a decent hour to start packing tomorrow." Her head shot up to look at Oliver as she clarified, "And by bed, I mean two separate beds in different rooms. I'm not inviting you into mine. Not that that would be a bad thing because I'm sure you're great in bed. Not that I've thought of that. And I'm going to stop right now before I say something even worse."

Oliver chuckled softly as he stood up. "Good night Felicity."

~

Sara and Thea were sprawled out on the floor of the mostly empty living room. Thea moaned, "I'm sore in places I didn't even know I had muscles in. How is that possible?" Felicity walked back into the living with four bottles of water, handing one to each woman. 

Groaning, Felicity sank down to the ground and laid back so her head was resting on Sara's stomach. "That's what moving does to you." Her eyes slid shut, wanting to take a quick nap, when an idea came to her. Sitting up abruptly, Felicity pulled out her cell phone. "I'll be right back." Walking toward her bedroom she started to film herself. "Hey guys. Today is going to be my last day in this apartment." She showed her empty room, before turning the camera back on her, "As you can see, we're pretty much all packed up. And I have some news." She started walking back toward the living, hearing Oliver come back inside the apartment as she said, "Oliver and I have decided that upon many requests, we will be doing a Q&A together. Don't believe me, check this out." She turned to camera on Oliver as he lifted another one of the heavy boxes with a grunt. "Say hi Oliver."

Smiling, Oliver looked at the camera, "Hi." He then looked at Sara and Thea and told them, "If you two don't get up and help, I'm leaving you here to walk back home." 

Felicity brought the camera to focus on the two women as they groaned and slowly got up. Turning the camera back to her, Felicity spoke, "So leave any questions you have in the comments and we'll answer them later in the week. I gotta go though and finish moving the last few boxes. Have a good one!" She quickly uploaded the video to YouTube before grabbing the last box and headed down to the truck.

Oliver smiled at her as he took the box from her and he said, "You tell them that we're going to do a video together?"

Nodding, Felicity wiped some sweat off her brow. "Yeah, this way they have a couple of days to leave their questions. Now that I'm thinking about it, how do you want to do this? Post it on both our accounts? Or maybe just one? Yours would be the one to get the most views probably."

Oliver sat down at the edge of the truck, patting the spot next to him, asking her to sit next to him. She sat down as he took his phone out while he said, "Probably. But I have an idea." Bringing up his phone so that the camera was facing him, he looked at her and asked, "Ready?" At her nod, Oliver turned back to look at the camera and started filming. "YouTube! It's Sunday and many of you might be wondering why I'm all sweaty. That's because I just finished helping two friends move. One friend many of you already know." He panned the camera to include Felicity in the frame as he went on, "That's right, Felicity and I have met up and we've decided to do a colab Q&A. You can leave your questions in the comments below, but we'll only be posting the video under Felicity's account. I'll let all of you know when it's posted, but just keep an eye on her channel. Bye, YouTube." 

Ending the recording he turned to Felicity and smiled at her surprised look. "I figure, this way you get more publicity and more people will check out your channel. You never know who could look at it and see your dancing videos."

"Thank you."

Shrugging Oliver hopped off the back of the truck and offered her his hand to help her down. He closed the back of the truck, locking it as he said, "I want you to succeed and if I can help with that, then I'll do it. That's what friends do."

She smiled up at him at his last sentence. "So we're friends now?"

Oliver laughed a little as he started to walk toward the apartment again. "I don't know about you, but I only help friends move out of their place willingly." Laughing herself, Felicity jogged to catch up to Oliver, looping her arm through his as they walked up the stairs to order one last meal to have inside the apartment. 

~

Oliver rolled his shoulders as he saw the sign letting him know that he had entered Starling City. His neck was a little stiff from all the moving and having to sleep on the floor while the three girls shared a blowup bed during the night. But he had enjoyed himself immensely. Looking in the rearview mirror and then to the passenger seat, he smiled at how Thea, Sara, and Felicity were all still asleep. They had only lasted a couple hours when he started driving at 4:00 that morning, Sara being the last one to fall asleep around 6:15. Knowing that Sara and Felicity would want to be awake to see the city again, he started to wake them up. "Guys, we're almost there. Time to wake up."

Thea only groaned, mumbling that it was still too early for her. Felicity stretched a little, moaning softly as some of her back cracked. She looked outside the window at the city's skyline as she rubbed her eyes, speaking to herself, "It's beautiful."

Sara hummed in agreement. "It's good to be home again."

Felicity scanned all the towering buildings, taking in the architecture. However when they started to drive passed the city instead of going in it, Felicity look at Oliver and asked, "Where are we going?"

Smiling he told them, "While everyone was sleeping I talked with my mom and she wanted us to stop by before we headed back toward the city. This way you two can get settled into the guest rooms and we all can eat something before we go into the city."

Sara perked up at that. "Oh, I haven't seen your mom in years! Is Raisa still there? Please say yes and please say she baked my favorite cookies."

Oliver turned off the interstate, driving toward his parents' house as he said, "Yes, Raisa is still there and I'm sure that once she heard that you were coming she started baking her famous cookies."

Sara leaned forward as she told Felicity, "You are going to love these cookies. It's like a brownie and a white chocolate chipped cookie made love and created it. What did she call them?"

Oliver smiled softly as he said, "Podsnezhniki."

Sara snapped her fingers. "Right. It means snowdrops in Russian. Anyway, they're amazing. And Raisa is the _best_. I think I've missed her more than I've missed you guys."

Oliver shot her a look as he joked, "I can still pull this car over and leave you on the side of the road."

Sara leaned toward him, kissing his cheek. "You know I love you, Ollie."

Rolling his eyes, Oliver grinned as he said, "Yeah, yeah. Sit back before I get a ticket."

Felicity smiled at their interaction, seeing the lifelong bond of friendship between them. She was still curious though. "Who's Raisa?"

Sara continued to look at the open country that led to the Queen manor as she answered, "She's like a housekeeper/nanny."

Felicity looked at Sara confused. "Housekeeper. How big is the house?"

Sara turned to look at Felicity and smiled softly at her confusion. She was used to Oliver being from money, but she sometimes forgot that people like Felicity didn't realize how much money Oliver had. "It's basically a mansion. Although they call it a manor. But it's a mansion, trust me. The Queen's are billionaires."

Felicity looked at Oliver for confirmation. He glanced at her briefly, shrugging slightly. "It's true."

Sitting back in the seat, Felicity looked out the front window and said, "Huh, I never really thought about you like that, coming from money. I mean, I knew you did, but after seeing for so long, it’s not something I ever thought of again. I mean, you're still you." She could just make out what looked like a house in the distance then. Pointing at it, "Oh, is that? If it is, it's beautiful. How old is it? How _big_ is it? Does your mom have house rules that I should know about?"

Oliver smiled warmly at her. "If I remember correctly, my dad told me it was built in 1876. When he bought it, he put in a few upgrades. I'll show you around when we get there. And as long as you don't break anything, I think you'll be okay."

Sara snorted in the backseat before muttering, "Yeah, shouldn't have said that Ollie. Now she's going to freak out about touching anything for the remainder of our stay."

Felicity turned in her seat to stick her tongue out at Sara. "No, I won't." Turning back, she amended, "Okay, I might. But it's just me being cautious. One time when I was six, my class went to the museum and I almost knocked down a 2,000 year old vase, all because I was a little overly excited." She looked at Oliver and clarified, "It was my first field trip and first time at a museum. Least to say, I had to hold the teachers hand for the remainder of the day."

Oliver told her, "We fortunately don't have anything like that in the house. Although there is this one vase that my mother does love, so I'll warn her to put it away and out of reach from you." Felicity glared at him before she punched his arm. Laughing, Oliver said, "I'm joking. You don't have to worry. I'm sure anything of value was broken by Thea or myself by the time she was five." Oliver then went into great detail about how he broke a $5,000 figurine when he was playing with Thea. 

Everyone in the car was still laughing when Oliver pulled up to the gates leading to the manor. Felicity looked outside the side window in awe as the gates automatically opened for Oliver. "Whoa, it's even more beautiful up close." Then the house came into to view. "Oh my god, you lived in a castle!"

Thea snorted at that. "Calm down there 'Lis. It's just a house."

Felicity stared wide-eyed at it as Oliver pulled up to the door. "But it's a _huge_ house. One of you guys will have to stay with me the whole time because I will get lost in there. I promise you that."

Shaking his head at her words, Oliver opened his door and told them, "Come on. I have to get to work in a few hours."

They all got out of the car, Oliver going to grab their bags as Thea let them in. She called out, "Mom, we're home." Felicity was so enthralled at looking around the foyer that she didn't even notice Moira and Robert Queen walk in to greet their daughter. "Dad, what are you doing here? Don't you work today?"

Robert hugged his daughter as he told her, "I wanted to be here when you got home. I also wanted to have a chance to see Sara before she leaves." 

Sara smiled as she went in to hug him. "It's good to see you again, Mr. Queen."

Oliver walked in then, closing the door with his foot before placing the bags on the ground, as Robert said, "I'm very proud of you." Sara whispered a thank you, hugging him a little tighter. She always loved Oliver's dad. He was a good man and an amazing dad, who always treated her like a daughter.

Oliver smiled at his mom, who had just finished hugging Thea. "Hi mom."

Moira moved forward, bringing her son into a hug. "Oh sweetheart, it's been too long since you've visited." She kissed his cheek before pulling back; wiping away her lipstick she left on his skin. 

Squeezing her arm gently, Oliver said, "I know. Work has been really busy lately. I'll try to stop by for dinner soon. Promise."

Moira turned her attention then to Felicity, who had her attention divided between their happy reunion and looking around the foyer still. "Ah, you must be Felicity."

Felicity jumped a little at being addressed, turning her gaze toward Moira. "Me? Well, of course me, duh. I'm the only here that you don't know." Shaking her head, Felicity extended her hand. "Yes, I'm Felicity. Felicity Smoak. Thank you for opening up your home to me, which is stunning by the way and more like a mini-castle."

Moira smiled kindly at her, shooting Oliver a knowing look as he moved closer to Felicity. She then smiled at her husband, who shook his head slightly and said, "Well, I'm sure all of you are hungry. Let's move this to the dining room, shall we."

Felicity started to follow everyone, Oliver's hand hovering over her back, guiding her in the right direction as she continued to look at everything around her. As they sat down to eat, Felicity could hear Sara telling Robert about what she would be doing down in Miami, when Moira asked Oliver, "Do you have any plans for later on today?"

He answered, "I actually have to head to work after this and help set up for a hack-off that Bobby is hosting tonight for his business. He's going to hire the top ten hackers."

Moira frowned in concern. "Oliver, surely someone else can handle that. You just drove for seven hours. You need rest. And what on earth is a hack-off?"

Shrugging, Oliver told her, "I know, but I promised Bobby that I'd be the one to oversee everything. And a hack-off is basically the best hackers coming together to show Bobby who can break through a certain security system and firewall he has set up the fastest." 

Moira shook her head before speaking, "No matter how many times you try to explain his business to me, I still don't understand it. I thought hacking was illegal."

Felicity spoke up after swallowing her food. "It can be if you break through a firewall without the company's permission. But with the business that Oliver's friend is starting up, a 'hack-off', as Oliver put it, is the best way to weed out the best of the best. It's actually an excellent idea."

Moira was impressed at Felicity's words. "Oh, I didn't know you knew about computers. I thought you were in the performing arts like Sara."

Felicity nodded her head as she answered, "I am, but I minored in computer science and technology."

Robert joined the conversation by asking, "How did you get into that?" 

Felicity began to explain how she first fell in love with computers and then dance, telling them that she had actually been accepted into MIT, but decided that CU was the best choice for her since it allowed her to follow both her true loves. She finished off by saying, "Oliver actually invited me to be part of the hack-off tonight, which I'm excited about. I haven't hacked someone in years." She realized too late how that sounded and tried to backtrack. "Not that I did it often or broke any laws. It was more to see how far I could go. I never did anything bad, like hack the FBI or something. It was more for fun. Although I did hack into my high school's system once. It was to change my computer science grade to an 'A' because Mr. Hoffman thought I cheated on my test, which I didn't, and he failed me. But that was just righting a wrong, so I don't consider that as something bad. Which you probably didn't need to know about anyway."

Robert heartily laughed before he told Felicity, "You have gumption, Felicity. I can see why Sara likes you so much, as well as my children."

Felicity blushed at the compliment, tucking a piece of hair behind her ear. She was pleasantly surprised that Oliver's parents reacted much like he and Thea did to her rambles. It was relieving to not be ridiculed because of her lack of a brain filter. "Thank you."

Oliver smiled warmly at Felicity from across the table, while Thea wrapped her arm around Felicity's shoulder. "Yeah, I think we'll keep you. Who knows, I might need those hacking skills later on in my life."

Moira sighed exasperated at her daughter's antics. "Thea." She only smiled wider as Felicity laughed lightly. The rest of the lunch was spent with Felicity and Sara excitedly talking about the movie and which actors they were going to meet, as well as some fun times they had while in college that Oliver and Thea hadn't heard yet. 

Oliver's phone started to ring, interrupting them. He looked down and saw that it was Roy. "Hey Roy, what's up?" Thea looked at him, wondering why her boyfriend would be calling Oliver. However when she saw how Oliver's face went from relaxed to worried, she knew something bad had happened. He was already pushing back his seat when he responded to what Roy said, "I'll be there in 30 minutes. Roy you are in charge until I arrive. I'll call Slade to let him know that he needs to come in early. Tell Digg to call me when he has any news." Looking at everyone at the table, he apologized, "Sorry, I have to go. Lyla burned herself really badly and John is taking her to the hospital. Lunch was great mom and dad." Kissing his mom's head he said, "I'll call you later." He then looked at his sister, "Don't crash the car." He looked at Sara and then Felicity, "I'll see you guys later today."

Everyone at the table watched as Oliver rushed out of the room as Thea muttered, "I'm not that bad of a driver."

~

Thea pulled up to the curb a block from _Bits and Bytes_ as she told the girls, "Now, we all agreed that Oliver doesn't need to know that I backed up into that light post, right?"

Felicity laughed as Sara said, "Thea, I still don't know how you didn't see it."

Thea argued, "It just jumped up out of nowhere! I'm telling you it wasn't there when I parked the car."

Shaking their heads, they got out of the car. Felicity looked around at all the people and stores, taking in everything. She felt Sara slip her arm through hers, directing her toward Oliver's bistro café. "Come on Smoak. You don't want to miss this hack-off." Smiling, Felicity followed them as Thea continued to talk about how they were going to explain the dent if Oliver did see it. The girls had spent the rest of the day after lunch in Starling City, Thea and Sara giving Felicity a tour of the city, more specifically the best shopping spots. Thea had spent more money on her two friends than Felicity was comfortable with, but she didn't want to burst Thea's happy bubble of shopping. Thea had waved off her worries the one time Felicity had voiced them, saying that her dad wouldn't mind her buy them things. When Thea turned into a building, Felicity stopped to take it in. She could see why Oliver loved the place so much. It was everything she wished she had back in Central City. She could just make out the back computer room from where she stood, but what drew her most was the laid back atmosphere in the café. There were many college students already lounging in the big comfortable chairs and tables, studying and hanging out. As she entered, Felicity could see the bistro entrance to the right where she could see a woman around Oliver's age with long black hair, walking a couple into the bistro. The smells that came from the bistro made her stomach growl in hunger, making her realize that she was in fact very hungry.

Thea called out Oliver's name, peeking into the computer lab and the back hallway behind the counter. When he didn't answer back she walked over to the hostess, Sara and Felicity following her. Once the black haired woman saw Thea, she rushed over to hug her. "Thea, it's good to see you again. This place isn't the same without you. I don't know what I'm going to do once you leave for London."

Laughing, Thea smiled at her. "I'm sure you'll manage somehow Shado." She then gave her a knowing looking, which caused a light blush to form on Shado's cheeks. Thea smiled wider before asking, "Do you know where Ollie is?"

Nodding, Shado told her, "He's out back with Roy bringing in the deliveries from earlier today. I never realized how much both he and John do until we're short one man. It's been crazy here. Roy looks like he's ready to die." Shado then looked back and noticed Sara and Felicity. "Oh, hi. I'm Shado, would you two like a table?"

Thea looked back and shook her head, "They're with me. This is Sara." Sara waved hello. "And that's Felicity." 

Felicity smiled at her, until Shado shared a look with Thea. "Felicity, as in that Felicity."

Thea nodded her head, laughing. "Yep. We met at Sara's and Felicity's graduation. We even helped them move. Her and Oliver a good friends now, aren't you Felicity?"

Felicity looked between the two women, remembering what Oliver told her about his sister's persistence. "Um, I guess you can say that." She was thankfully saved by any further questioning by a boy in a red hoodie coming up to them and grabbing Thea, tugging her into a hug.

She smiled as he told Thea to never leave him alone with her brother again when John wasn't there to be a buffer. Felicity smiled even wider as she saw Oliver walk in from the back, shaking his head at the boy. "It wasn't that bad, Roy. You should be happy that I didn't make you carry as much as Digg usually does."

Roy scoffed at that. "I thought my arms were going to fall off at one point."

Oliver rolled his eyes as he told him, "You did about one third of what John usually does. Stop complaining." Roy muttered under his breath that John was built like a tank and he could probably move a mountain if he wanted to. 

Thea turned to her brother and asked, "How is Lyla?"

Sighing, Oliver dragged a hand through his hair. "She's okay. It was mostly first degree burns, but there were some second degree ones. She and John are at home. I told them to stay for the rest of the day there. John will be coming in tomorrow morning and take over for Lyla. She'll be out for a couple of days." 

A man came up to the group then and spoke to Oliver. "Oliver, I think we're almost all set. Is your girl here yet?"

Thea and Sara smiled at that, knowing he was talking about Felicity. Oliver shot them a warning look before turning back to his friend. "Bobby, I'd like you to meet Felicity Smoak. Felicity this is Bobby Fletcher."

The two shook hands as Bobby said, "It's nice to meet you Ms. Smoak. I saved you a computer. If you want to follow me, we can get started."

Felicity followed Bobby to the back room, Oliver lingering back to tell Sara and Thea, "Don't start." He then hurried to catch up, watching as Felicity sat down at one of the computers. Bobby explained to everyone what he wanted them to do and told them the rules. He started to count down and when he hit zero it was like Felicity went into another world. Oliver watched as her complete focus was on the screen in front of her. He started to walk around the circle of computers he had set up for Bobby, drawing closer to Felicity. He watched her fingers fly across the keys, noticing for the first time how long and slender they were and that her nails were painted a vibrant blue. Oliver was so focused on her hands that he was surprised when all of a sudden one of her hands lifted from the keyboard and she threw her fist in the air in victory. "Yes! I knew I still had it."

Oliver looked up at Bobby then, smiling broadly at the man's face. He hadn't expected her to be the best out of all them. Quickly walking over to her, he looked over her work and whistled softly, "Wow. This is amazing. I haven't seen anyone work this fast in a long time."

A few seconds later several other people shouted out in victory. Bobby thanked Felicity for participating before he went to look at the other hackers. Turning around, she smiled at Oliver. "That was fun."

Smiling down at her, he said, "It looked like you were having fun."

Felicity pushed her chair back, looking around the computer lab for the first time. "Oliver, you did an amazing job on this place. It's perfect here. I can see why you love it so much."

Oliver's smile softened as he told her, "Thanks. Wait until you taste the food."

Felicity's eyes closed as she thought about what she first smelled when she walked in. "If it tastes as good as what I smelled, then it'll be the best thing in the world. And I'm starving."

Oliver nodded toward the bistro. "Come on then, it's time you tasted the best food in all Starling City."

Laughing, she said playfully, "The best? That's pretty bold to say."

Shrugging, Oliver told her, "You haven't tasted our famous macaroni and cheese yet.  So I won't hold it against you for not agreeing with me just yet." Shaking her head, Felicity followed him out and into the bistro, smiling at Shado as they passed her. He sat them down at a table in the corner where Sara and Thea were already waiting. A waitress was already coming with a tray full of food before Felicity could even look at the menu.

Sara told her, "I ordered a little bit of everything off the menu. Might as well take it all in in one go before we head off. Who knows when we'll have the chance to have this amazing cuisine that Oliver and Thea keep talking about." Looking down at it, Sara clapped her hands together. "Okay, I do have to say that everything looks amazing and smells even better. Whoever your chef is, I'm taking him or her with me when we leave."

Felicity spotted the macaroni Oliver had been talking about and shot him a smile as she reached for it. Taking a bite of it, she couldn't help the moan that left her throat as her taste buds exploded with flavors. Chewing it slowly with her eyes closed, Felicity had to agree with Oliver. It was the best macaroni she had ever tasted. "Oh my god, you were right Oliver, this is beyond amazing." He smiled at her as he grabbed his own fork and went in to take some from the small plate in front of her. She quickly slapped his hand though, stopping him from getting anywhere near her food. "No sharing. This is too good to share. Get your own plate mister." Taking another bite, she smiled as she chewed. "I'm going to marry the person that made this."

A deep voice from behind her with an Australian accent startled her. "I'm sorry to inform you miss, but I'm already spoken for."

Looking back, Felicity took in the towering man above her, thinking briefly that everyone in Oliver's bistro café was alarmingly handsome and well, very in shape. She frowned playfully at him as she said, "That's a shame. Especially because, like wow, look at you." Wincing at herself, she tried to quickly cover up what she just said, "Not that I would marry because of your looks. It was solely for your food. Although that doesn't sound any better. I'm sure you have other great qualities. Obviously, since you said you're already spoken for. And who wouldn't want a man with your accent? I've always wanted to go to Australia, but the kangaroos kinda wig me out. Are they as mean as they look? Because they look like they could knock you out. Well, not _you_ , because obviously you workout. It doesn't look like much could take you down."

Oliver cut her off, as he tried to hide his laughter. "Slade, this is my friend, Felicity Smoak. She's visiting from out of town."

Smiling at her, Slade shook her hand. "It's nice to meet you. And the kangaroos are only mean if you get too close."

Blushing slightly at the verbal vomit she just did, Felicity said softly, "Noted."

Sara jumped in then and introduced herself, "Hi, I'm Oliver's other friend from out of town, Sara Lance."

Slade shook her hand and said, "It's nice to meet you, Sara. I hope everyone is enjoying the food."

Sara nodded her head. "Oh, I'm kidnapping you when we go to Miami. That's how good your food is."

Laughing Slade said thank you before he bid his goodbyes, telling Oliver that they needed to order more Chardonnay before he left. They continued to eat and talk while Felicity and Sara enjoyed all the food in front of them. Sara even snuck some of Felicity's macaroni onto her plate when Felicity was given the wine menu, telling Oliver that he had an amazing selection. It was well passed 12 when Sara and Thea said that they were going to head back in to sleep. Felicity was going to go with them when she saw that Oliver wasn't heading home. "You aren't going to go home?"

Shaking his head, Oliver told her, "My shift doesn't end until 7."

She frowned at that. "But you've been up since 4. You need sleep Oliver."

Oliver shrugged as he said, "That's the price of owning my own business. I'll be fine, don't worry."

Felicity looked back at where Thea and Sara were waiting for her, before looking at Oliver again. She bit her bottom lip as she came to a decision. Turning back to the girls, she told them, "You guys go ahead. I'm going to keep Oliver company and make sure he doesn't fall asleep on the job." Sara and Felicity shared a look before smiling at her. Waving goodbye, Sara winked at Oliver before leaving.

Oliver was shaking his head at Sara when Felicity turned back to him. "You don't have to stay with me. I'll be fine. Really. After all, you need your sleep too."

Felicity pulled her tablet out of her purse she'd been carrying as she told him, "I know. But I wanted to. Plus, this way we can get started on this Q&A we're going to do. I already have over 10,000 comments I need to sift through."

Oliver smiled at her. He definitely hadn't expected this when he first saw Felicity four years ago. He motioned for her to follow behind the café counter. "Okay then. Let's see what everyone wants to know." They spent the remainder of the night looking over the questions, only being interrupted when someone came in for a drink. By the time it was time for some of the morning staff to come in, Felicity and Oliver were pretty much done taking questions and just laughing at some of the more outrageous comments. When Diggle finally came in, Oliver was in his office getting his stuff ready to head out, leaving Felicity behind the counter while she continued to look at some of the comments. Over the night, Oliver had taught her how to make some the most popular drinks after she asked him in between one of their many breaks. It had ended up with a lot of foam splattered across her chest and Oliver laughing with her. But after a few more tries, he informed her that she was an old-pro. So without even looking up, Felicity asked, "What can I get you?"

Diggle frowned at the blonde head, knowing that they hadn't hired anyone new. He looked around to see where Oliver or Samantha, the morning barista, was but he couldn't find either of them. Looking back at the woman, he asked, "What are you doing behind there? You don't work here."

She looked up at him with wide blue eyes and was about to say something when Oliver came out from the back. "Digg, how's Lyla?"

Diggle's brow furrowed as he continued to look at Felicity, knowing he had seen her face before. He then turned his gaze to Oliver as he tried to place her face. "She's doing a little better. Still in pain, but it's manageable. Thanks, by the way, for taking over my shift."

Oliver slipped his coat on as he said, "It was no problem." Pointing to Felicity, he told Diggle, "Felicity helped keep me awake. Let me know if you guys need anything." Turning to Felicity he asked, "Ready?"

A slow smile started to spread over John's face at Oliver's words. Thea had told John and Lyla all about Felicity, she even made them watch the videos that Oliver and Felicity had made after they started communicating. Which also meant that he knew Thea wanted Oliver to be with Felicity. He watched as Felicity nodded at Oliver, before stepping forward and saying. "So you're Felicity. It's nice to finally meet you."

Felicity smiled at him tentatively as she said, "Thanks. I've heard a lot about you, John. I'm sorry to hear about your wife. I hope she gets better soon."

Digg shrugged as he told her, "Hazard of being a chef. It's not the first time she's burnt herself and it probably won't be the last. I won't keep you two though. I know you must be exhausted. I'll talk to you later Oliver. Felicity, I hope to see you again." Waving goodbye, Diggle headed toward his office, already texting his wife about it.

As Felicity finished putting away her tablet, she said to Oliver, "Is it a requirement for all the men here to be outrageously handsome? Because I can see what Roy was talking about yesterday when he said that Digg could move a mountain. Did you see his arms?"

Oliver laughed softly as he rounded the counter. Joking with her, he said, "I haven't notice. I just try not to get lost in his eyes."

Felicity pushed his shoulder playfully as she laughed. "Whatever. But seriously. Between John, Slade, and you, I think we could build our own army."

 Looking down at her as she wrapped her arm around his, he asked, "And how would you fit into this army of ours?"

Felicity followed Oliver out of the bistro café as she said, "I would be the one in charge of course. Like a command center of sorts. I did make this army, so it's the obvious choice." Oliver hummed in agreement as they continued to walk down another block. Felicity looked around at the buildings they were passing, before looking back at Oliver. "So, where's your car?"

Looking down at Felicity again, he told her, "I actually only live a few blocks from here. I was thinking we could do the video Q&A before I drive you back to my parents. I'll edited it later and we can post it to your page tonight."

"As long as there's coffee I'm up for it." Her brow furrowed as she said thoughtfully, "Although, I think if I drink anymore coffee, I'll OD on it. So maybe, tea. Or hot chocolate. I could probably do hot chocolate, but only if you have those fluffy marshmallows. And now I'm thinking about s'mores."

Laughing softly, Oliver tugged Felicity toward his door. "I have marshmallows. I even have graham crackers and chocolate if you want to make s'mores."

She looked at him, surprised by that. "I'm debating whether or not to ask you _why_ you have those lying around. Because not many people do, unless they're planning on making, well, s'mores."

Oliver held the door open for her as he said, "One of the perks of having a sister staying at my place more often than not means I have to have everything stocked for her at all times. I'm sure she won't mind you raiding her supplies though."

Laughing as she walked through the door, Felicity waited to follow Oliver up a flight of stairs. She looked around as they walked down a hallway, commenting, "I'm not being judgey or anything, but this is not what I was expecting for your apartment." Looking back as he unlocked his door, Oliver raised his eyebrow in a silent question. Felicity saw his look and shrugged. "It's just, well, now that I _know_ -know that you're basically a billionaire, I'd think that you'd be in some penthouse up in the skies. You know, living it up. Not that I'm saying that it's bad, because if you have the money, why not, right? Although, now that I think about it, you don't seem much the type to throw your money around…at least not now. Because I saw something of the videos of you when you were younger and I have to say you were completely different from what I see now. Not that you were a bad person then, just…playboy-ish. And this sounds like I'm judging, but I'm not. Trust me, I have done things in my past that I regret. Although nothing like peeing on that cop."

Oliver threw his head back in laughter before smiling down at her. "So, you've looked me up then?"

Huffing softly, Felicity walked into his apartment as she muttered, "Don't make a big deal about it. I just typed your name into YouTube when I found out that you liked my videos and happened to stumble upon some other videos of you, none of the scandalous, racy kind, but more of the 'I did some really dickheaded things when I was a  kid' kind. _Not_ that you were a dick! I'm not calling you a dick. Because you're not."

Oliver placed a placating hand on her shoulder as he said, "I was a dick when I was younger, so don't worry about it. I did a lot of crap that I regret and wish I could take back." She smiled sadly up at him, wondering how much guilt he carried sometimes. From the few long conversations they had, she gathered that Oliver still blamed himself for Tommy's death, that he felt bad for hurting all the people he had when he was a teenager, and for not being the son his parents had wanted him to be. Watching Oliver take a step back from her, he asked her as he walked toward his kitchen, "So, tea or hot chocolate?"

Calling out hot chocolate as she looked around his living room, her eyes landed on his bookcases. Two framed his computer setup and Felicity felt like drooling over it. Her finger was running along the spines of his Victorian era section when he spoke behind her, "My favorite section is Greek Mythology."

Turning around, Felicity smiled at the steaming cup of hot chocolate he held out to her. Humming at the warmth that spread through her hands as she took the cup, she turned back to look at all his books and said, "Don't laugh, but my favorite book of all time is _Peter and Wendy_ by J. M. Barrie."

Oliver stood next to her looking at his library, before softly saying, "I don't think I've ever read that book. I know my sister made me watch the movie with her, but I've never read it."

Felicity hugged one arm around her middle, rocking side to side a little. She smiled fondly at the memory of the book. "I know as a little girl, I read it because it had fairies and a place where there were no adults that could make you feel unloved. Peter had the lost boys and Tinkerbell and they were his family. The ending always hurt because well, Wendy left him. But when I read it again as a teenager I fell in love with it because it's a story about innocence and how even though we don't want to, all of us have to grow up sometimes. Everyone but Peter Pan. I couldn't help but think that if Peter was real, it must be awfully lonely and sad for him to always lose his family and friends. All because he was afraid to grow up. Honestly, that book helped me realize that I wanted to come to CU."

Oliver brushed his hand down her arm, grabbing her attention as he said, "It sounds like a great book. I guess I'm going to have to find a copy to read."

Felicity reached into her bag, taking out her tablet before reaching back in. She pulled out a book, straightening the edges a little before she handed it over to Oliver. "Here, you can borrow my copy." At Oliver's surprised look, she explained, "I carry it with me wherever I go. If I ever get bored or have a break between rehearsal, I sit down and read a little of it if I don't anything else to do. It's one of the only things that my dad gave me when I was little that I cherish." Looking back at Oliver's books and how immaculate they were, she said, "I know if I leave it with you it'll be in good hands." Smiling at him she added, "Plus, this gives me another reason to stop by later on."

Oliver looked down at the book and felt something tighten in his chest. Clearing his throat he told Felicity, "I'll take good care of it."

Nodding a few times, Felicity turned to his computer as she said, "You have a nice setup going here. I can see where you spend your money. If I wasn't already your friend," she ran her finger across the keyboard, "I would be now just because of this baby."

Chuckling softly, Oliver pulled up another chair for him to sit in, motioning to Felicity to sit down in the computer chair. "I knew it. You only like me for my coffee and computers."

Smiling at Oliver cheekily, she felt comfortable enough to joke without blushing and babbling, "That pretty face of yours doesn't hurt either." Throwing him a wink, she turned on her tablet to bring up the questions they had said they would try to answer. Oliver only shook his head as he turned on his computer as Felicity scrolled through the list. He was bringing up his video recording program, when she asked, "Where's your bathroom? I need to freshen up because I probably look like the walking dead right now. Don't want to scare away any of the viewers."

Oliver pointed toward the bathroom. "Just down that hall, first door to your right. You look fine to me though."

Smiling as she grabbed her make-up bag, she said, "Ah, but you've seen me sweaty and naked." Shaking her head quickly, Felicity corrected, "I meant without makeup! Not like without clothes, because obviously you haven't seen me without clothes. And I was sweaty because of moving, not anything else. And I'm just going to go now." Standing up quickly, Felicity walked toward the bathroom. 

Oliver watched her until she disappeared around the corner, the corner of his mouth lifting into a smile. He was surprised by how _much_ he liked Felicity. He could see they were quickly becoming good friends, Oliver telling her things he had never told anyone else. He could also tell from their conversations and how somber Felicity got, that some of things he found out about her, she didn't just tell to anyone either. 

Hearing the door open down the hallway, Oliver turned to see Felicity walking back. She had applied a little makeup, covering up the slight darkness that had formed underneath her eyes. She smiled at him as she sat down. "Okay, I'm ready now. Let's get this started."

Clicking once the recording started. Felicity had told Oliver earlier while at work that she wanted him to take the lead since, most of the viewers were his fans. So, Oliver smiled at the camera and said, "YouTube, it's Tuesday?" Looking at Felicity, who smiled and nodded that it was in fact Tuesday, Oliver looked back at the camera and went on, "Tuesday morning and we're both exhausted. Felicity was amazing enough to stay with me while I worked the night shift and we accomplished a lot. We sifted through all the comments and picked the ones we liked the most to answer. But before we get into that, I want to ask my own question." Turning to look at her, Oliver asked, "You've been in Starling for one day now, how do you like it so far?"

Bringing her leg up to hug against her chest, Felicity smiled brightly and started to wave her hands around enthusiastically as she answered. "It's amazing here. Granted I only saw a bunch of stores because Thea was hell bent on doing a shopping spree before Sara and I head off. But from what I saw, it's pretty spectacular here. I know I'm definitely going to be going to the art museum before I leave. The best part though was at your bistro café. Getting back into that chair and hacking my way through a mainframe and firewall, I forgot what a rush I get from it. Plus the food was beyond good." Looking at the camera, she leaned in a little closer as she said, "If anyone ever goes I have three words for you. Macaroni and cheese. It's the best thing I've ever had in the world." Leaning back, she added, "Plus I got to learn how to make a few drinks that I'm sure will hold me over until I come visit again. You or Thea will just have to teach new ones next time."

Oliver smiled at her as he said, "Next time I'll teach you my secret drink that I only make upon request. It'll blow your mind."

Felicity's eyes brightened at the idea of that. Anything with coffee that could blow her mind was a must to know. "Oh, now I need to visit sooner."

Oliver remembered something then. "Oh, speaking of visiting. Bobby wanted me to tell you that if you ever are looking to get back in the hacking/IT business again, to give him a call. He said he'll always have a position open for you. That's how much you impressed him. Here, let me give you his number just in case." Grabbing a piece of paper and a pen, Oliver started to write as he continued to speak, "Just so everyone knows, Felicity is pretty badass when it comes to hacking. Bobby told me he hasn't seen anyone hack that fast since he was in college with me." 

Handing her the paper, Felicity smiled at him before warning, "Just don't get on my bad side, I could ruin you in just a few clicks of a mouse."

"You're diabolical."

Smiling brightly, Felicity said, "That's what Sara tells me. Okay, your turn." She looked through the questions before landing on a good one, "Oh, here's one I know you said you wanted to answer. This is from _HikerBiker45_ , 'This question is for Oliver. Being somewhat famous, what's your take on the paparazzi?'"

Oliver blew out a loud breath as he leaned back before leaning forward so his elbows were resting on the desk. "Okay, I'm going to be really honest here. Right now, where I am in my life, the paparazzi don't follow me as much as they used to. I get a few pictures taken of me every now and then. And pardon my language, but it's annoying as fuck. When I was younger it was mainly funny and a game between Tommy and me. We would try and see who could get the wildest picture taken. But there were times even then that I got annoyed with having people follow me everywhere I went. So I am happy that I don't get that attention as much anymore. It's intrusive and they don't have the best manners. Unfortunately, I can't control them. But I do draw the line when it comes to my sister and friends. Even when I was younger, I've always shielded Thea from them. You don't take pictures of kids. Period. Take all the pictures you want of me, but leave my family and friends out of it. That's what I think of the paparazzi."

Felicity nodded as she added, "Yeah, I know I wasn't asked, but I have to say that even _I_ find them annoying and I'm not famous, like at all. That's one thing I hope I never have to deal with if I ever do hit it big."

Oliver took the tablet from Felicity, scrolling down to a question for her. "Okay, next question is to Felicity. _BaconLover88_ wants to know if you have anything big coming up now that you've graduated."

Felicity smiled as she answered, "Okay guys, here's the thing. I can only answer that in the vaguest of ways. Yes I do have a big project coming up, which is why I'm leaving town for a while, but I've been ordered not to say what it's for. I could only tell family and close friends. But within the next year and a half, everyone will know about it. I promise."

Oliver smiled proudly as he said, "Trust me, it's awesome. All I can say is that I'm extremely proud of both Felicity and Sara for what they've accomplished."

Grabbing the tablet, Felicity blushed. "Okay, okay. My turn to ask." Biting her lip she looked through a few before landing on one. " _CathyPants12_ asked, 'What does a normal day look like to you?'"

Oliver leaned back in his chair as he crossed his arms over his chest. "I think we can both answer that. I'll go through what I have done so far today. My days start when I head to work. I got to work yesterday around 3 because we had an emergency with one of our chefs that got injured. So I took over Digg's shift a little early, unloaded some stock we received, set-up for an event I was hosting for my friend, and then had dinner with my sister and friends on my break. Felicity stayed with me as I did the overnight shift. After that, we came back to my place. We're going to finish up this video, then I'm dropping Felicity off where she's staying…"

Felicity interrupted him as she reminded, "Don't forget the s'mores. You promised s'mores."

Laughing, Oliver nodded. "Right. So after this, we're going to make some s'mores, then I'll take Felicity back and I'll come back here to sleep for five hours. I'll probably wake up around 1 or 2 in the afternoon, I'll edit this video and then see if Sara and Felicity want to do something besides shopping with my sister, possibly even go to the art museum." He looked at Felicity, asking her silently then. She nodded, smiling that she would be happy to, before he continued, "I'll then come to work around 6 and repeat. It's pretty much that, I do try to go to the gym before work most days, but I'll make an exception today. Felicity?"

Tapping her finger against her chin, Felicity thought about it. "Well, I know my schedule that I will have for my new project is different from when I was in college. So, now, I'll most like wake up around 4:30 for my run. That takes about an hour. I'll come back home to change, eat breakfast, check my e-mails and then I'll head to rehearsal. That'll take up a pretty good chunk of time, running until around 8 or 9. I'll go back home and just pass out on my bed. That's the life a dancer."

Oliver looked down at the next question, smiling slightly. "Okay, I like this one a lot. _ComicLover45_ is asking both of us, 'What was it like to meet each other? Were you surprised? Was it awkward? Do you have any funny stories you can share yet?'"

Felicity laughed before answering, "I'd like to let everyone know before Oliver answers that, that I babble a _lot_ when I'm nervous. So, I'm putting that out there. But as for me, I don't know what I was expecting. I know I was really nervous because I had just graduated and well, he's Oliver Queen! I know that Oliver's a lot more of everything then what I expected. Trust me, him sitting in that chair is deceiving." Waving her hand between them, she said, "There's like a foot difference between us. I was _not_ expecting that. Then Oliver took us to this amazing restaurant that's super hard to get into, especially on short notice. But Oliver's really so down to earth and basically what you see in his videos. I was really happy about that. We hit it off almost immediately and now we're acting like we've known each other for years. I'm happy that I came to Starling though and I was able to see his bistro café, which I will rave about for the rest of my life. The food is amazing and," leaning in, she stage whispered, "the men that work there are hot. Trust me." Leaning back and turning to Oliver, she instructed, "Show them your guns."

Laughing, Oliver asked, "My what?"

"You know," Felicity brought her arm up and pointed to her flexed bicep, "your guns. I want to make a comparison." Oliver shook his head as he raised his arm and flexed his muscle. "Okay, see this. This is like really impressive as is. But his partner, John, his arms are like _five_ times as big. I mean, I had a hard time focusing on anything _but_ his arms. They were that impressive." Patting Oliver's arm gently, she signaled he could relax as she went on. "And the evening chef is Australian. With an accent and everything. Swoon worthy. So even if you aren't hungry, go just to stare at all the pretty people that work there. Trust me on this. Unfortunately, most of the guys are taken, but there's no law against looking. _Not_ that I'm encouraging anyone to like stalk them or anything, because that _is_ illegal and just really creepy. Trust me I know, from my freshman year."

Laughing, Oliver shook his head. "I hope you know that John watches these."

Felicity turned wide eyes to him and squeaked out, "What?! We're editing this part out." Looking at the camera she said, "We're editing this out."

Oliver shook his head as he mouth, _No I'm not._ Laughing a little more, Oliver got to his part of the answer. "For me, I wasn't sure what to expect either. I wasn't nervous per se. I was excited and anxious. And then Felicity came up to us, Sara introduced us and then Felicity did something and I knew I was going to like her. She babble. And it was a little inappropriate, but so honest and, the only other word I can think of is so Felicity, that I couldn't help but smile. I had an amazing time at dinner and then we stayed up later than we probably should have and just talked and drank great wine. Like Felicity said, we hit it off. I can honestly say that I am really happy we met and became friends so quickly. As for any funny stories, let's just say that Felicity babbles even without being nervous. I think that's one thing I'm going to miss the most when she leaves."

They answered a few more questions, before Oliver ended the video with. "Okay guys, that's going to be it for now. I'm sure we'll do something together again in the future because this was a lot of fun. But we both need sleep, right?"

Felicity nodded before saying, "S'mores and then sleep. And I would like to thank everyone who asked we do this. It was an excellent idea and whoever started it deserves some type of present. Until next time YouTube. Bye." Oliver waved bye before shutting off the camera.

Felicity leaned back in the chair before looking at Oliver. "So, s'mores?"

~

In the end, Felicity fell asleep in Oliver's spare room. After waking and freshening up, Oliver edited the video and Felicity uploaded it onto her page. They then picked up Sara and Oliver showed Felicity around QC before heading to the art museum. Thea met up with them to take Sara and Felicity back to the manor while Oliver went to work. By the time Oliver was done with his shift, Thea was outside the café waiting for him to get in the car to take the girls to the airport. 

The drive there was filled with everything they had done while he was at work, how their video was doing and how Robert had given both girls a nice graduation present in money form. Felicity still couldn't believe how nice Oliver's family was toward her since she was practically a stranger.

When it was time to leave Thea hugged both Sara and Felicity tightly, telling each to keep in touch and not be strangers. Oliver hugged Sara first, telling her to be careful and call him for anything, before turning to Felicity. He could see Sara and Thea step back, giving them some privacy as Felicity smiled up at him. She didn't know why goodbyes were always so hard for her, but Felicity felt tears prick her eyes as she said, "It was really nice meeting you, Oliver. I wish we had more time to hang out."

Oliver could see the tears in her eyes, so he grabbed her hand and gently tugged her toward him. He wrapped his arms around her, feeling her own band around his back as he murmured in her hair, "We'll stay in touch. You have my phone number now and I have yours. You let me know how everything is going down in Miami and I'll tell you all about how Thea won't stop hassling me. Plus, you have to come back for your book."

Felicity hugged him a little closer as she buried her face in his chest. "Yeah, my book. Let me know what you think about it." They stayed in their embrace longer than necessary, but neither wanted to let go. Felicity spoke softly, "This is harder than I thought it was going to be. I know we just met but I feel like I'm losing one of my best friends."

Oliver pulled her back slightly so she could look at him as he told her. "Hey, you can't get rid of me that easily. We can Skype, email, and I promise I'll call you. Okay? I'll even fly down there to visit you sometime. And we'll always have YouTube."

Felicity hugged him again, a little more tightly. "Yeah. We'll always have YouTube. I'm going to miss you, Oliver."

"I'll miss you, too, Felicity." She pulled away then, taking in a deep breath as Oliver rubbed his hands down her arms. "I'll see you soon."

She smiled at him, nodding. "Bye." Sara wrapped her arm around Felicity's as they started to walk through the terminal.

She frowned slightly at how somber her best friend looked and asked quietly, "You okay, Smoak?"

Felicity lifted a shoulder before saying, "It's stupid. I just, I'm really going to miss Oliver and his family. They were so kind and warm toward me. And Oliver, he's a really nice guy. I just wish I had more time with all of them. That's all."

Sara smiled knowingly. She remembered the day she left Starling and Oliver drove her up to CU. She had cried like a baby on his shoulder while she said goodbye. She tried reassuring Felicity. "The thing with the Queens, once you're their friend, you're stuck for life with them. Even more so with Oliver. After Tommy died, he made sure that the friends he still had knew he was there for them. Oliver has a really big heart, always has. And he's very protective of what's his. You, Felicity, are his friend. He will do anything and everything to keep it that way. Trust me, you won't lose him." As the announcement went out that their plane was boarding, Sara finished, "In fact, I think this will only make your friendship strong. Just you wait and see."

~

Sara was right, of course. Felicity called him two days after arriving in Miami, just to check in and see how everything was going. The call lasted for three hours. By the end of it, her face hurt from how much she had smiled and her sides hurt from all the laughter. When the one month mark came by, it was routine for them to Skype at 7 in the morning her time, just as Oliver was about to get off his shift, at least once a week if not more. They called each other regularly and texted even more. They continued to communicate through YouTube videos, both making a video in response to how much their viewers loved their duo Q&A. Felicity had blushed to her roots when over half of the comments were people saying how cute they were together or asking when they would start dating. She and Oliver had laughed over it, Oliver joking that now even the internet was rooting for them to get together. 

Even Felicity's fellow co-stars/dancers were poking fun at her relationship with Oliver, hooting and hollering whenever he called her during rehearsals and they saw her special 'Oliver smile'. Sara and Thea, of course, only kept encouraging them from both sides in more subtle ways. Sara would mention how Felicity's eyes lightened up whenever she got a text from Oliver or it was time to Skype with him. Thea had told Oliver that he got this "stupid smile that was just so adorable" whenever he got something from Felicity. 

It only got worse as the months passed. It finally culminated when Oliver visited Felicity a few months later. He had wanted it to be a surprise. Felicity had told him that six months after the movie would premiere, Sara and Felicity had been asked to become backup dancers to a new up and coming singer. She would start going on tour with her in ten months. He wanted to celebrate with them properly. So, Oliver only told Sara that he was coming to make sure it wouldn't interrupt with their rehearsals. She had assured him that it wouldn't and then Oliver was in Miami getting dropped off at the address Sara had given him for their rehearsal area. With his duffle swung over his shoulder, Oliver pushed through the doors that the security had directed him to. 

He entered as quietly as possible, seeing that they were going through a dance routine. Oliver leaned back against the wall, waiting for them to finish it, smiling as he watched Felicity and Sara dancing. They looked happy, which only made his smile grow. 

Felicity had just spun with a leg kick when she had caught his reflection in the mirror she was looking at. She stopped in her tracks. Oliver smiled at her through his reflection, waving. She spun around and looked at him in shock before a smile broke across her face. When she started to run toward him, Oliver moved forward to meet her. He caught her as she flung her arms around his neck. "Oliver!" Her feet were dangling in the air as they hugged. They stayed like that for about a minute, just taking in that they were together again. She only pulled back from him to look down and ask as he held her, "What are you doing here? Not that I'm not happy. Because I am. I'm beyond happy. But why didn't you tell me you were coming and how did you find me?"

Oliver only laughed as he set Felicity down. "I wanted to surprise you. I know you had told me how you wish I was here to celebrate your big news. So tonight, Sara, you, and I are going to hit the city and celebrate like we should've when you told me. And Sara told me where to find you."

Felicity turned to look at Sara who was smiling broadly. "You knew! I can't believe you kept this from me without giving anything up. Although now that I think about it, you were acting really excited today. Like more than usual."

Sara came over and hugged Oliver, before turning to face Felicity. "I wanted to see this face. That was enough motivation for me to keep this a secret."

Just then their choreographer cleared his throat. "Ladies?" Felicity turned around to find all her co-workers were either smiling or trying to hide their smiles. She smiled sheepishly at them as the choreographer spoke to the group, "How about we call it a day. You've all worked hard today. Tomorrow we're starting late as well, be here by 2. And girls, have fun, you deserve it."

Felicity thanked him before she rushed to gather her things, Sara right behind her as a few of their new friends came over to them. One of the girls leaned down and slapped Felicity's arm as she said, "What the hell? Those pictures you showed us do no justice! And what are you waiting for? He flew all the way down here to see you. Jump him tonight!"

Felicity glared at her playfully before saying, "Oliver came down here to celebrate our new job after we're done with the movie. We're just friends."

One of the guys snorted as he told her dramatically, "That hug was _not_ friendly. That was a 'I missed you and I never want to let you go again' hug. That man loves you. Are you telling me that you don't find him attractive? Because even a straight man would find him hot as hell."

Felicity pulled her bag over her shoulder as she told the group, "No, Oliver is very attractive. I'm not _blind._ And of course he loves me. We're friends. Best friends. But he isn't _in_ love with me. And I'm not in love with him. It's very platonic. Trust me."

Sara rolled her eyes before saying, "Yeah, and if by platonic you mean so much unresolved sexual tension I could cut it with a knife, then yes. Because I see how you two look at each other. You both just need to stop fighting it."

Felicity sighed in exasperation. "Sara."

She brought her hands up in surrender. "Fine, okay. I'm not saying anything else about it. But I will tell you 'I told you so' when it finally does happen. Loud and proud, so the whole world can hear me.”

Felicity shook her head, saying goodbye to the group before walking toward Oliver again. Smiling at him, she asked, "So how long do I get you for?"

~

Oliver stayed for two days. That first night was filled with clubs, dancing, and drinking. All three of them woke up with splitting headaches as an alarm blared through the apartment. Sara had viciously thrown her high heel at the offending noise, sighing happily when it fell to the ground and broke. The girls woke up again to the smell of breakfast and coffee. Sara was the first to stumble from her bed, looking through bleary eyes to see Oliver cooking over their stove.

Moaning in pain, she announced her presences as she whined, "My head feels like someone's using a jackhammer behind my eyes. Make it stop, Ollie." Oliver turned, smiling at her as he handed her a cup of coffee. She glared at his smile. "You drank more than I did, why are you so happy?"

Oliver turned back to the stove so he could flip the bacon. "You forget how much I used to party when I was younger. I can take a lot more than you can. And I've already had my special hangover coffee. Drink yours before it gets cold." Sara looked down at the coffee like it was sent from heaven before she started drinking it. 

Felicity came out next. Her hair was in a lopsided bun as she rubbed her face. "I hate both of you. Why did you let me drink so much? And tequila. You know how I react when I drink tequila."

Sara groaned. "Please stop yelling."

Felicity glared at her as she took the seat next to Sara at their island. "I'm not yelling."

Sara let her head rest against the cool marble surface as she said painfully, "Yes you are."

Oliver chuckled as he passed Felicity her cup of coffee. "No, she's not. Now, both of you stop talking and start drinking. You'll feel better in about ten minutes."

Felicity moaned, "That's ten minutes too long." But she dutifully started drinking her coffee. Both women watched as Oliver continued to cook as they sipped their beverages. Their eyes followed his movements as he scrambled the eggs and flipped the French toast, both feeling a little bit better with each passing minute.

By the time Oliver served them their food, they were back to their normal cheerful selves. Sara leaned down and took a deep breath in, smelling her food. Sighing happily, she asked, "When did you learn to cook like this Ollie? I remember when you were a senior in high school, you and Tommy nearly burnt down your house because you said it was okay to heat up that tin foil in the microwave."

Oliver shook his head at that memory. "Had to learn if I didn't want to starve or live off of take-out. Raisa gave me a few tips before I moved out and Lyla was kind enough to take me under her wing and show me a few other things."

Felicity hummed as she took another sip of her coffee. "And the coffee? Who taught you that?"

Smiling, Oliver told her, "That is all mine. I learned how to make it while I was in my second college after a very long night out with my fraternity."

Sara leaned forward and stuck out her bottom lip in a pout as she asked, "You're going to teach us how to make this, right?"

Oliver leaned in close to her, so their noses were almost touching before whispering dramatically, "Eat your breakfast."

She deflated slightly, before sitting back. "You're no fun." She ate a few bites of her French toast before asking, "Are you sure you can't stay longer, Ollie? We've both missed you, obviously Felicity more so than I, but it's nice having a little home with us here."

Felicity slapped Sara's arm as Oliver told them, "I wish I could. But Thea's leaving for London in a day and I want to be there to say goodbye."

Felicity remembered Oliver telling her about that a few days ago and how worried he was about his sister being in another country with no one she knew. She had tried to reassure him that Thea had a good head on her shoulders and that she had a great role model to look to, him. "Tell her that I wish the best for her and that once she finishes, I want first dibs on all her designs."

Sara jumped off the barstool, carrying her dirty dishes to the sink as she called out over her shoulder, "Hey! _I_ get first dibs. I've known her longer."

Oliver rolled his eyes playfully as he said, "I'll tell her to make sure she has enough for both of you. Don't worry."

Sara patted his back as she left the kitchen. "Good because a girl has to go to a premiere in style. And this girl is broke." Heading toward the bathroom she told them, "Speaking of which, Felicity still needs a date to the premiere showing!"

The door to the bathroom shut before Felicity could say anything to Sara. She looked back at Oliver as she heard Sara get in the shower. Sighing, she said, "Ignore her. I still have at least ten more months to find a date. She's just trying to set us up again."

She saw something flash in his eyes, but then he was taking their plates to the sink and washing them. Oliver stayed quiet even after he was done with the dishes, looking down at the empty sink. At least ten minutes passed by and Felicity began to wonder if she had said something wrong. She knew she hadn't, so she shook her head and was about to ask Oliver what was wrong when he spoke. "What if I wanted to be?"

Confused by that, she asked, "Wanted to be what?"

Oliver turned around then to face her, his face as serious as she had ever seen it before. "Be your date."

Still confused, she shrugged slightly. "I mean, sure, I would love that. It's just that a lot of reporters are going to be there and they'll probably get the wrong impression. I mean, I guess I could tell them that we're just friends. So, yeah, sure, why not."

Oliver took the few steps forward, only having the island separating them as he leaned against it. "What if I don't want to go as just friends?"

Felicity's mouth fell open into a silent 'oh' as she processed what Oliver had said. She was just about to respond, with what she didn't know, when Sara came into the living room with a towel wrapped around her body and her hair dripping wet. "Come on, Smoak. Rehearsal starts in 30. You gotta get ready."

Looking back at Sara, Felicity didn't know what to do or think. "Uh, yeah, okay." Turning to Oliver she said, "I h- I have to get ready." He only nodded and as she walked toward the bathroom she could feel his eyes following her. Not even the cold shower could help clear her mind. It's not that she didn't want to date Oliver. But did she? As she left with Sara to go to rehearsal, she didn't say anything to him. Sara noticed, looking between the two before following Felicity. 

Once they were driving and at a red light, Sara turned to her and asked, "What the hell was that back there? One minute, I leave you two smiling in domestic bliss, and then the next time I see you two it's like you couldn't even look at him. What happened?" She tried to be playful about it, "Did you two finally have your first couples fight?"

Felicity snapped, "Sara, stop it! Enough with the pressuring and trying to get us together. It's not going to happen. _It's_ _not going to happen_."

Sara sat back a little, concern washing over her face. She spoke in a soft voice as Felicity began to drive again, "Hey, what happened?" At Felicity's peeved look, Sara shook her head. "No, I'm serious. What's bothering you?"

Felicity gripped the wheel tightly as tears pricked her eyes. All those times Sara, Thea, and everyone else had joked about her and Oliver, it was just that, a joke. Something that she never really thought would happen. Oliver was her best friend she told everything to. She didn't want to ruin that. Dating changed things. She could really fall in love and that could lead to her heart getting broken again. And she didn't want to lose Oliver. 

But what if this was it? What if he was it and it never happened because she was too scared? Pulling over sharply, cars behind her blaring their horns in anger, Felicity looked out the front window. Ever since she met Oliver everything seemed right. From the moment he didn't make fun of her for her first embarrassing ramble or berate her for it, she knew he was special. That she wanted him in her life. 

Felicity thought back to that instant connection. That feeling of rightness and how everything just made sense again. He made her laugh when she was about to cry, he comforted her from hundreds of miles away when no one else could, and he was always there for her. Felicity sucked in a deep breath before she unbuckled her seatbelt. She was already opening the door to her car, when Sara asked her, "Hey, where are you going?"

Felicity looked inside the car and said, "I need to take care of something. Can you tell Dave I'm sorry for skipping rehearsal?"

Sara smiled softly, knowing what was about to happen. "Yeah, don't worry Smoak, I'll cover for you." She watched as Felicity took off in a run back to their apartment, where Oliver was still at.

Felicity was breathing heavily as she stood in front of her apartment door. Taking in a deep breath, she opened it quietly, walking toward Oliver. His back was facing her as he sat at the island counter with his laptop. He jumped slightly when Felicity asked, "How?" He turned around, as she clarified, "How do you know?"

He stood up and closed the distance between them. She watched as he brought his hand up and she could see the conflict in his eyes on where to put it. He finally decided to gently place it on her shoulder before sliding it down her arm to grasp her hand. She didn't realize she was looking at their entwined hands until he lifted her chin with his finger. His voice was a little deeper as he told her, "Because when I finally had you in my arms, I never wanted to let you go again. Thea is always telling me that I'm the happiest after I talk with you and she's right." His other hand came up and cupped her neck. "You make me happy, Felicity. Seeing you smile or hearing your laugh is the best thing in the world to me. Every day I look forward to talking to you. I don't know when I started feeling like this, but I know that I want to feel this way for the rest of my life."

Felicity took in a deep breath before saying, "What if it doesn't work out? I can't lose you."

Oliver started to lean forward as he whispered, "You will always have me, Felicity. No matter what."

Felicity swallowed her fears and anxiety. As she looked up at Oliver, she saw it. She saw what she didn't have with Barry or Raymond or any other boyfriend. Oliver had even said it. They made each other happy. They weren't in love, not yet. But she knew that would come later on. Letting her hand slide up his chest, she gripped the shirt as she said, "Oliver, I'm going to kiss you now."

Oliver smiled at her. "Okay."

It started out slow, just the barest of touches. She felt his hand grip her waist as his other one slid down her back to rest between her shoulder blades. Felicity's grip on his shirt increased as she tried to draw him closer as her other hand slid into his hair, her fingers tightening on his short strands. She let her tongue dart out to gently trace his bottom lip. Her belly clenched when she heard Oliver moan at the contact before he deepened the kiss. Felicity's toes curled in her shoes when their tongues slid against each other as he squeezed her ass. Pulling away, she panted out, "Oliver, bedroom."

Felicity started to guide them toward her bedroom, bumping into a wall and table on the way, before stumbling into her room. She tugged at the back of his shirt, pulling it over his head before tossing it as she kicked off her shoes. She stumbled slightly, Oliver catching her before she fell down. They laughed together as she stood on her tiptoes to kiss him softly on the lips. Pulling back, Oliver told her, "I wasn't planning this when I said I wanted to date."

Smiling, Felicity threaded her fingers through his hair. "Oliver," she kissed him again before pulling away, "we might not be together for another six months. So shut up and kiss me." His answer was to slant his mouth over hers as he lowered her to the bed. 

~

Sara came home to an empty apartment. Dropping her bag on the floor, she looked around the dark rooms, calling out, "Smoak, you here? Ollie?" Moving further into the apartment, she heard the shower running and went to knock on the door. "Felicity? Hey, you in there?" Hearing the muffled reply from her, Sara said, "I'm coming in."

On the other side of the door, Felicity tried to stop her, but Sara was already walking in. Felicity leaned her head against Oliver's chest in frustration. Looking up to silently apologize for being interrupted, she saw a glint in Oliver's eyes that made her shake her head. She was not about to have sex with him while Sara was in the room. Oliver smiled broadly as he turned her so her back was against his chest, letting his hand slide down as Sara said, "Dave was very understanding when I told him you got food poisoning from something you ate last night. Obviously, I wasn't going to tell him why you really didn't come to rehearsal. Which I still don't know the reasons completely, by the way. And where is Oliver? He wasn't out in the living room and since he's sleeping on our pull out, I'm assuming he left. But he didn't say bye to me, which means he's coming back later on. So what happened?"

Felicity bit her lip as Oliver continued with his ministrations. Taking in a shuddering breath, Felicity responded, "We talked…and came…to an…understanding." Oliver bit down on her shoulder then and she could feel him smile as she muffled a moan.

Her hand moved to hold his arm, the cords of his muscle clenching as she dug her nails into his skin. Felicity almost forgot about Sara, until she heard her say, "So does that mean what I think it means? Is it time for the 'I told you so'? Because, I told you so. Anyways, you're going to have to give me all the dirty details. And I mean everything. _All_ the details. I've seen Ollie naked before, accidentally of course, but man was I having some dreams for the next few months. But I'm sure it's nothing like the real thing. So, details." Felicity knew all too well now how well-endowed Oliver was. "Where is Ollie, anyways? Was it a condom run? Because I have a stash in my room. Do you need me to leave for another few hours?"

Felicity wasn't paying attention to anything Sara was saying as Oliver kissed her neck. Felicity turned her head to the side, biting Oliver's bicep so she could muffle her moan. Sara's voice carried over the sound of the water falling from the shower-head. "Felicity?"

Grunting, Oliver said gruffly, "Sara, leave."

Sara smiled widely at Oliver's voice. "Look at you two being all naughty and doing it while I'm in the room with you. Looks like Oliver got you out of your shell, Smoak."

Oliver spun Felicity around, backing her into the wall, as he said, "Now."

Felicity bit her bottom lip as she felt her abdominal muscles clench as he leaned into her. She vaguely heard Sara say, "Okay, okay. Don't need to be so pushy. I'll come back in about three hours. Hopefully you two will at least be in her room by then." Sara was soon all but forgotten.

~

Felicity always hated goodbyes, but she knew this was going to be by far the worst one yet. She had just spent all of yesterday with Oliver; christening the kitchen, bathroom, living room, dining room table, the island in the kitchen, and of course her bedroom, several times. That morning she was sore in the best of ways, smiling as she turned her head to find Oliver lying on his stomach with his arm thrown over her abdomen, snoring softly. Running her finger up his arm and to his cheek, she scrubbed her fingers in his stubble. She laughed quietly as Oliver made a sound close to a purr, turning on her side to face him as he woke up. 

His blue eyes were sleepy, but alight when he looked at her. Smiling, he drew her closer as he said in his gravelly sleep voice, "Good morning."

"Morning." She kissed him softly as he leaned in, their noses brushing as he pulled away. "What time is your flight?"

Oliver groaned, burying his face in her shoulder. His muffled voice told her, "9:00. What time is it?"

Rolling her head to look at the clock, she was surprised to see the time. "It's 6:30." Oliver groaned again, burrowing his face even deeper into her shoulder. Running her fingers through his hair she whispered, "We have to get ready if you don't want to miss your flight."

Oliver tightened his hold on her as he shook his head. "No." He then proceeded to start kissing her shoulder and nipping at her neck.

Felicity let her head fall to the side, giving him more access as she said breathlessly, "You have to go if you want to say goodbye to Thea."

Pushing her so that she was on her back, Oliver settled between her legs as he pulled away and looked down at her. Brushing some hair from her face, he gave her a lopsided smile. "Hi."

Felicity smiled at him sweetly, letting her hands slide up his back. "Hi." His lips brushed against hers then a few times before she bit his bottom lip. Her nails dug into his back as the kiss deepened when a knock came through the door. Sara's voice carried through it as she yelled, "Guys, we have to leave in fifteen minutes. Enough with the sexy times! Thea's going to kill me if Oliver misses her flight." Groaning, Oliver let his forehead rest against Felicity's chest as she ran her fingers through his hair. "Guys?"

Felicity smiled as Oliver finally rolled off of her and glared at the ceiling. "We'll be out in ten minutes."

"Ollie, your bag is here by the door."

Felicity laughed softly as Oliver's glare turned toward the door. Pushing the covers back, she sat up and gave him a quick kiss. "Come on, we don't want Thea to kill Sara."

Oliver grumbled, "Right now that's debatable."

Laughing even more, Felicity climbed out of her bed and walked around it, toward her dresser to grab some clothes. After slipping on her underwear and bra, she tugged on a pair of yoga pants before she turned to look at Oliver. He was still lying in the bed, but he was turned on his side, watching her as she got ready. Smiling at him, she ran a brush through her hair. "Oliver, you have to start getting ready."

He extended his hand and motioned for her to come toward her. "Come here." Rolling her eyes playfully, Felicity walked toward him. Oliver pushed himself up and swung his legs over the side of the bed. She stood in between his legs as he settled his hands on her hips. "I'm really happy this happened and I'm not only talking about the sex."

Smiling, she let her fingers weave through his hair. "Me too. But the sex was pretty awesome."

Oliver chuckled as his fingers dipped into her pants. "I don't think awesome even starts to describe the sex."

Leaning down, she kissed him softly, moaning as his hand moved down to squeeze her butt. Pulling back, Felicity started to shake her head at him. "You are not going to distract me that easily Oliver Queen. Go grab your bag and get dressed before Sara comes in here and dresses you herself."

Huffing softly, Oliver stood up as Felicity walked back to grab a shirt. Opening the door, he grabbed his bag and quickly got dressed. They met Sara by the door with only a minute to spare. What they weren't expecting was for a flash of a camera to go off as Sara smiled widely at them. Felicity gave her a deadpan look while Oliver furrowed his brow. "What…"

Her smile grew as she told them, "I had to be the first one to take a picture of you as a couple! It's my right. Plus, Thea won't ever believe me without this evidence." Quickly sending the photo to Thea, Sara looked back at them still smiling before jumping up and down, running toward them. She hugged them both tightly as she said, "I'm just so happy right now."

Felicity couldn't help but laugh at her best friend. "Sara, come on. We have to get going so Thea won't kill you."

Sara shook her head as she hugged them even tighter. "She won't now that I sent her that beauty." Thirty minutes later, they were parking the car at the airport drop-off. Oliver slung his duffle over his shoulder before turning to Sara and Felicity. Sara launched herself into his arms, hugging him tightly as she whispered, "I'm so happy for you Ollie."

Oliver hugged her back tightly, lifting her up a little off the ground as he responded, "Thanks. I'm really happy too."

Sara smiled up at him as her feet touched the ground again before saying seriously, "It's my duty to say this, being her best friend and all. If you hurt her, I'll snap your neck. Okay?" Laughing softly, Oliver nodded as he leaned down and kissed Sara's cheek. 

He turned toward Felicity as Sara moved back to the car. They moved toward each other at the same time, meeting halfway as their lips brushed each other. His hand settled low on her waist as hers tightened around his shoulder, his shirt bunching in her fingers. Neither wanted it to end as they stepped closer, Oliver's other hand cupping the back of her head as his fingers tangled in her hair while Felicity's hand slid underneath his shirt. However, Oliver knew that he needed to get inside or he would miss his flight. Slowing the kiss down, he pulled back and leaned his forehead against hers. "I'm going to miss you."

Felicity nodded slightly as she squeezed her eyes shut. Trying to be optimistic, she told him, "Just six more months. Then I'll be done here and we can be together again."

"Yeah, six months." He kissed her again, his hand cupping her cheek before kissing her temple and stepping back. "I l…I'll call you when I land." She could only nod as she watched him take another few steps back before turning around and walking into the terminal. She knew he was going to say it. Say that he loved her. And just that knowledge was enough for her at the moment.

~

The next six months were both terrible and wonderful. They both hated that they couldn't be with each other, but the newfound relationship blossomed over phone calls and video chats. To say that everyone else was happy for them would be an understatement. When Oliver had seen Thea off to London, she had hugged him and told him that them finally getting together was her best going away present. Felicity's fellow dancers all shouted in joy when she had confirmed that she and Oliver were dating. Over the months they continued to grow closer to the point that when they finally said 'I love you' to each other it wasn't even planned. They were signing off from their regular Skype call when Oliver told her, 'Love you'. She had responded back with 'Love you too' and then ended the video. It took her a few minutes before she realized what they both said. She didn't call him back to see if he meant it and she didn't analyze what it meant. Because they loved each other. She knew that. She knew that this was it for her and she couldn't wait to be back with him. The next time they did talk Oliver said it again to her and she had told him again. Even though it was a phone call, she could still _hear_ the smile that was spread across his face. Now they regularly said it to each other.

It was nearly the end of the six months and Felicity was finally wrapping up with the production. Oliver settled down in his seat as he got ready for their Skype call. He slipped on his headphones and sighed as the days stressed start to seep out of him at just the thought of talking with and seeing Felicity. When the call was connected he smiled at seeing her. "Hey."

She smiled widely at him. "Hi. How are you?"

He ran his hand over his face, before letting his head rest against his hand as he looked at her. "Tired. It was a long night since its finals week." 

She hummed softly at that, remembering those days back in college. "Well, I might have news that could cheer you up."

"Really?"

She started bouncing in her chair a little as she nodded. "Yep! We're wrapping up a week early."

Oliver did perk up at that news. "Which means that…"

"Yes! I'm coming home in a week. So you better get ready for this whirlwind of Felicity Smoak." Sara shouted from the background that he needed to get ready for her too. Felicity playfully rolled her eyes before she started telling him about everything she wanted to do before the movie premiered in a few months. Oliver happily listened, watching as her hands moved enthusiastically in the air, imagining having her with him again in his place. 

She had just finished saying how she needed to call Thea so she could make her a dress when Oliver said, "Move in with me."

Felicity's mouth snapped shut at his words. She looked at him wide eyed, shocked a little by them. "Oliver."

"Hear me out. You don't have a place over here and I'm assuming you're moving to Starling and not Coast, right?" Felicity nodded and Oliver went on. "So, stay with me. We can even look into getting a place somewhere else if you don't to stay at my place. But I…I love you Felicity and I don't want to waste anymore time not being together."

Biting her bottom lip, Felicity tried to hide the smile threatening to spread on her face. "Okay." 

~

They decided to buy a townhouse a few blocks from his old place. As they finished unpacking their last box, Felicity couldn't help but think back to when they first met. So much had happened since then. She had gained a best friend, lover, and partner for life. When she made her YouTube account, she never thought she could gain this from it. She had gotten what she wanted and so much more. Smiling as Oliver wrapped his arms around her middle, Felicity leaned back into him as he kissed her neck. Sighing, Felicity knew that this was her life and she wouldn't change it for anything.

When the weeks turned to months, when they made their debut as a couple on the red carpet, when the months turned to years, when they made more videos together and her career took off to more movies, Felicity still knew.

After two years of dating and being there for each other in everything and anything, Oliver finally proposed. When they made the announcement on their joint channel (although they each kept their independent channels) of their engagement, all their viewers were beyond happy for them. They continued to make videos together, their viewership growing each year. 

Their wedding day was the best day of both their lives. Thea (who was making herself known in the fashion world) designed her wedding dress. Sara was her maid-of-honor and she beamed almost as bright as Felicity and Oliver, happy to see her two friends finally getting married. 

Three years later they were both proven wrong that their wedding day was the best day of their life. Oliver looked down at his newborn daughter cradled in his arms. She yawned widely before blinking up at him. Taking out his phone, he started to record. Speaking softly, he spoke to the camera. "Hi YouTube. I have a very special announcement. I would like to introduce you to the newest member of the Queen family. Say hello to, Emma Abigail Queen." He then moved the camera to focus on his daughter. "Say hi Emma." She yawned again before her eyes slid shut. Oliver chuckled softly before moving the camera to look at him again. "My wife and I just wanted to say thank you for all your support and good wishes throughout her pregnancy. Until next time viewers. Bye."


End file.
